Nanoclay-Interface-Mediating Charge Redistribution for Effective Wound Healing.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Wound Healing

Background:

• Achieving rapid hemostasis and sustained antimicrobial activity simultaneously is a significant challenge for wound therapeutics.
• Current wound treatments often struggle to balance these two critical functions effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel wound therapeutic that integrates rapid hemostatic and sustained antimicrobial properties.
• To investigate a nanoclay-interface-mediated charge redistribution strategy using montmorillonite (MMT) and an aggregation-induced-emission luminogen (AIEgen), TTPy.

Main Methods:

• Hybridization of montmorillonite (MMT) with TTPy.
• Molecular dynamics (MD) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) for interfacial analysis.
• Density functional theory (DFT) to understand electronic interactions.
• In vitro clotting assays and antimicrobial efficacy tests against Staphylococcus aureus.
• In vivo wound closure studies.

Main Results:

• MMT-TTPy hybridization resulted in Ca2+ enrichment via cation-π/electrostatic interactions.
• TTPy downshifted the O 2p band, weakening Ca-O coordination and enhancing Ca2+ bioavailability.
• Achieved a 90-second clotting time and eradicated Staphylococcus aureus via light-triggered reactive oxygen species.
• In vivo studies showed 84.8% wound closure within 10 days, demonstrating synergistic fibrin formation and bacterial clearance.

Conclusions:

• Interfacial charge redistribution is identified as the molecular mechanism behind the dual hemostatic and antimicrobial activity.
• The MMT-TTPy hybrid material offers a promising dual-action therapeutic for advanced wound management.
• This strategy provides a new avenue for designing multifunctional wound dressings.