Natural Carrier‐Free Binary Small Molecule Self‐Assembled Hydrogel Synergize Antibacterial Effects and Promote Wound Healing by Inhibiting Virulence Factors and Alleviating the Inflammatory Response

• Published in: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Vol. 19; no. 5; pp. e2205528 - n/a
• Main Authors: Wang, Zhijia, Lu, Jihui, Yuan, Zhihua, Pi, Wenmin, Huang, Xuemei, Lin, Xiaoyu, Zhang, Yaozhi, Lei, Haimin, Wang, Penglong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.02.2023
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; antibacterial; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Biocompatibility; carrier‐free hydrogels; Covalent bonds; Excipients; Hydrogels; Hydrogels - pharmacology; Hydrogen bonding; Inflammatory response; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Nanotechnology; natural phytochemicals; Phytochemicals; Public health; self‐assembly; Staphylococcus infections; Virulence; Wound Healing; self-assembly; wound healing; antibacterial; carrier-free hydrogels; natural phytochemicals
• ISSN: 1613-6810; 1613-6829
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.202205528

Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)‐infected skin wounds have caused a variety of diseases and seriously endanger global public health. Therefore, multidimensional strategies are urgently to find antibacterial dressings to combat bacterial infections. Antibacterial hydrogels are considered potential wound dressing, while their clinical translation is limited due to the unpredictable risks and high costs of carrier excipients. it is found that the natural star antibacterial and anti‐inflammatory phytochemicals baicalin (BA) and sanguinarine (SAN) can directly self‐assemble through non‐covalent bonds such as electrostatic attraction, π–π stacking, and hydrogen bonding to form carrier‐free binary small molecule hydrogel. In addition, BA‐SAN gel exhibited a synergistic inhibitory effect on MRSA. And its plasticity and injectability allowed it to be applied as a wound dressing. Due to the matched physicochemical properties and synergistic therapeutic effects, BA‐SAN gel can inhibit bacterial virulence factors, alleviate wound inflammation, promote wound healing, and has good biocompatibility. The current study not only provided an antibacterial hydrogel with clinical value but also opened up new prospects that carrier‐free hydrogels can be designed and originated from clinically used small‐molecule phytochemicals. Small molecule baicalin (BA) and sanguinarine (SAN) binary carrier‐free self‐assembled hydrogels derived from natural plants can promote wound healing by inhibiting bacterial virulence factors and alleviating the inflammatory response.