Dual-functional polyurea microcapsules for chronic wound care dressings: sustained drug delivery and non-leaching infection control

Abstract

A new design of dual-functional polyurea microcapsules was proposed for chronic wound dressings to provide both non-leaching infection control and sustained topical drug delivery functionalities. Quaternary ammonium functionalized polyurea microcapsules (MCQs) were synthesized under mild conditions through an interfacial crosslinking reaction between branched polyethylenimine (PEI) and 2,4-toluene diisocyanate (TDI) in a dimethylformamide/cyclohexane emulsion. An in-situ modification method was developed to endow non-leaching surface antimicrobial properties to MCQs via bonding antimicrobial surfactants to surface isocyanate residues on the polyurea shells. The resultant robust MCQs with both non-leaching antimicrobial properties and sustained drug releasing properties have potential applications in medical textiles, such as chronic wound dressings, for infection control and drug delivery.