%0 Journal Article
%T Chitosan-based multifunctional oxygenating antibiotic hydrogel dressings for managing chronic infection in diabetic wounds.
%A Abri S
%A Durr H
%A Barton HA
%A Adkins-Travis K
%A Shriver LP
%A Pukale DD
%A Fulton JA
%A Leipzig ND
%J Biomater Sci
%V 12
%N 13
%D 2024 Jun 25
%M 38836321
%F 7.59
%R 10.1039/d4bm00355a
%X Current treatment strategies for infection of chronic wounds often result in compromised healing and necrosis due to antibiotic toxicity, and underlying biomarkers affected by treatments are not fully known. Here, a multifunctional dressing was developed leveraging the unique wound-healing properties of chitosan, a natural polysaccharide known for its numerous benefits in wound care. The dressing consists of an oxygenating perfluorocarbon functionalized methacrylic chitosan (MACF) hydrogel incorporated with antibacterial polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB). A non-healing diabetic infected wound model with emerging metabolomics tools was used to explore the anti-infective and wound healing properties of the resultant multifunctional dressing. Direct bacterial bioburden assessment demonstrated superior antibacterial properties of hydrogels over a commercial dressing. However, wound tissue quality analyses confirmed that sustained PHMB for 21 days resulted in tissue necrosis and disturbed healing. Therefore, a follow-up comparative study investigated the best treatment course for antiseptic application ranging from 7 to 21 days, followed by the oxygenating chitosan-based MACF treatment for the remainder of the 21 days. Bacterial counts, tissue assessments, and lipidomics studies showed that 14 days of application of MACF-PHMB dressings followed by 7 days of MACF dressings provides a promising treatment for managing infected non-healing diabetic skin ulcers.