Photoinitiated Nitric Oxide Release as an Antibacterial Treatment for Chronic Wounds

Taking advantage of their innate roles as antibacterial strategies, the dual activity of photobiomodulation (PBM) and nitric oxide (NO) was combined to provide a tunable, on-demand chronic wound therapeutic. S-nitrosothiol-modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles (RSNO-MSNs) were doped into polyurethane (PU) to demonstrate preliminary utility as an antibacterial wound dressing treatment for chronic wounds. Photoinitiated and resultant NO-release kinetics and payloads were evaluated at 405, 430, and 530 nm for multiple irradiances. The use of photons and the NO-releasing MSNs against common chronic wound pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, proved to be highly bactericidal. Cytocompatibility of the treatment was confirmed using human epidermal keratinocytes, a representative skin cell line.