Bacteria-triggered release of a potent biocide from core-shell polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-based nanofibers for wound dressing application
Abstract
Bacterial infection is a serious issue in wound healing. Extensive use of biocides in wound dressings have raised concerns like biocide resistance and unwanted harm to normal skin cells. In this thesis, I report a new approach to realize bacteria-triggered release of biocide to the sites of bacterial infections from core-shell polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-based nanofibers prepared by coaxial electrospinning. The hydrophobic PHA-based shell can effectively prevent the biocide from undesirable payload release in physiological environments without pathogens. However, in the presence of pathogens, the PHA-based shell is degraded by pathogens, and the encapsulated biocide is released. The released biocide subsequently can impose targeted antimicrobial effects on the bacteria. Using Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a model bacterium and dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride as a model biocide, we demonstrated that the core-shell PHA-based nanofibers released encapsulated dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride in the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, resulting in targeted inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa growth.
Description
Keywords
Polyhydroxyalkanoates, Nanofibers, Electrospinning, Wound dressing application
Citation
Li, W., Cicek, N., Levin, D. B., & Liu, S. (2018). Enabling electrospinning of medium-chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) by blending with short-chain length PHAs. International Journal of Polymeric Materials and Polymeric Biomaterials, 1-11. doi: 10.1080/00914037.2018.1466136