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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
A Novel High-Throughput Ex Vivo Ovine Skin Wound Model for Testing Emerging Antibiotics
Published on: September 16, 2022
Preclinical Performance Evaluation of an Oxidized Regenerated Cellulose Hemostat: Antibacterial Activity and Wound
Piyush G Patel1, Bhavin Trivedi2, Shahid N Karatela3
1Quality and R&D, Aegis Lifesciences Private Ltd., Ahmedabad, GJ, India.
Purpose:
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) complicates surgical site infections (SSI), making it important to address surgical bleeding and bacterial bioburden. Oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC) is a topical hemostat that generates a localized acidic microenvironment hostile to the survival of microbes. The present study evaluated the intrinsic antibacterial action and wound healing results of a commercial ORC-based hemostat in an infected wound environment.
Methods:
In vitro and in vivo experimental designs were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity. An in vitro experiment was designed to show inhibition zones against 32 Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains, including antibiotic-resistant pathogens, compared to the negative control. In vivo efficacy was tested in a Wistar rat excisional wound model (n = 42), in which polymicrobial inoculation was performed with the same bacterial strains, and animals allocated to specific groups were monitored for hemostasis time, wound contraction, clinical observations, and histopathology over 28 days.
Results:
Using an agar diffusion method, ORC hemostat exhibited in vitro antibacterial activity against all the 32 tested strains. In vivo, hemostasis time was significantly reduced in the test groups compared to that in the disease control group (adjusted p < 0.001), achieving hemostasis within 42.2-54 seconds. Similarly, wound healing was statistically significant for the test specimens, achieving up to 88.5% wound closure by day 28 (adjusted p < 0.001). Histopathological analysis after 28 days revealed complete re-epithelialization of the wound bed and reduced inflammatory infiltration.
Conclusion:
Within the study limitations, the commercial ORC-based hemostat (Surgi-ORC®) exhibited inherent antibacterial potential against various pathogens including antimicrobial-resistant organisms and provided rapid hemostatic action. These preclinical findings suggest that ORC may help reduce microbial burden, support wound healing along with tissue regeneration. Further clinical studies are warranted to establish the relevance of these observations in surgical practice.
