Abstract：
Bacteria, especially drug-resistant strains, can quickly cause wound infections, leading to delayed healing and fatal risk in clinics. With the growing need for alternative antibacterial approaches that rely less on antibiotics or eliminate their use altogether, a novel antibacterial hydrogel named Ovtgel is developed. Ovtgel is formulated by chemically crosslinking thiol-modified ovotransferrin (Ovt), a member of the transferrin family found in egg white, with olefin-modified agarose through thiol-ene click chemistry. Ovt is designed to sequester ferric ions essential for bacterial survival and protect wound tissues from damages caused by the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in Fenton reactions. Experimental data have shown that Ovtgel significantly enhances wound healing by inhibiting bacterial growth and shielding tissues from ROS-induced harms. Unlike traditional antibiotics, Ovtgel targets essential trace elements required for bacterial survival in the host environment, preventing the development of drug resistance in pathogenic bacteria. Ovtgel exhibits excellent biocompatibility due to the homology of Ovt to mammalian transferrin. This hydrogel has the potential to serve as an effective antibiotic-free solution for combating bacterial infections.
摘要：
细菌,尤其是耐药菌株，会迅速导致伤口感染,导致诊所延迟愈合和致命风险。随着对替代抗菌方法的需求不断增长，这些方法较少依赖抗生素或完全消除抗生素的使用，开发了一种名为Ovtgel的新型抗菌水凝胶。Ovtgel是通过化学交联巯基修饰的卵转铁蛋白（Ovt）配制的，在蛋清中发现的转铁蛋白家族成员，与烯烃修饰的琼脂糖通过硫醇-烯点击化学。Ovt旨在螯合细菌存活所必需的铁离子，并保护伤口组织免受Fenton反应中产生的活性氧（ROS）引起的损害。实验数据表明，Ovtgel通过抑制细菌生长和保护组织免受ROS诱导的伤害，显着增强了伤口愈合。与传统抗生素不同，Ovtgel靶向细菌在宿主环境中生存所需的必需微量元素，防止病原菌耐药性的发展。由于Ovt与哺乳动物转铁蛋白的同源性,Ovtgel表现出优异的生物相容性。这种水凝胶具有作为对抗细菌感染的有效的无抗生素溶液的潜力。
