Microbial-Responsive Wound Dressings Based on Biopolymer Degradation Strategy for Detecting Bacterial Infections

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Wound Healing
• Biosensing

Background:

• Chronic wounds are complicated by antibiotic-resistant microbial biofilms, necessitating advanced monitoring and therapeutic strategies.
• Current wound care often lacks active monitoring of the wound environment, hindering effective treatment of nonhealing wounds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an activity-based sensing strategy for detecting bacterial proteolytic activity in chronic wounds.
• To engineer composition-tunable biopolymer films that degrade in response to pathogen-secreted enzymes for wound monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Gelatin films were cross-linked with (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (GPTMS) and blended with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO).
• Enzymatic degradation kinetics were assessed using acoustic measurements, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy.
• The films' response to bacterial pathogens like *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* and *Staphylococcus aureus* was evaluated.

Main Results:

• The optimal film composition (25% PEO) showed significantly accelerated enzymatic degradation, with up to 80% mass loss in 12-24 h for *P. aeruginosa*.
• Real-time acoustic measurements detected distinct degradation kinetics and nanoscale viscoelastic signatures correlated with bacterial protease activity.
• Structural and morphological changes were confirmed via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy post-enzymatic exposure.

Conclusions:

• Composition-tunable, enzyme-responsive biopolymer degradation provides a viable broad-spectrum platform for sensing total proteolytic activity.
• This label-free sensing platform transduces bacterial activity into quantitative physical signals, offering potential for detecting polymicrobial infections without pathogen-specific recognition.