A carrier-free, injectable, and self-assembling hydrogel based on carvacrol and glycyrrhizin exhibits high antibacterial activity and enhances healing of MRSA-infected wounds.
Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces, 2024/9;241:114068.
Cui Z[1], Chen Y[1], Song S[2], Wang J[2], Wei Y[3], Wu X[4], Zhao G[5]
Affiliations
PMID: 38954940DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2024.114068
Impact factor: 5.999
Abstract
Inspired by glycyrrhizin's strong pharmacological activities and the directed self-assembly into hydrogels, we created a novel carrier-free, injectable hydrogel (CAR@glycygel) by combining glycyrrhizin with carvacrol (CAR), without any other chemical crosslinkers, to promote wound healing on bacteria-infected skin. CAR appeared to readily dissolve and load into CAR@glycygel. CAR@glycygel had a dense, porous, sponge structure and strong antioxidant characteristics. In vitro, it showed better antibacterial ability than free CAR. For methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli, the diameter of inhibition zone values of CAR@glycygel were 3.80 ± 0.04, 3.31 ± 0.20 and 3.12 ± 0.24 times greater, respectively, than those of free CAR. The MICs for CAR@glycygel was 156.25 μg/mL while it was 1250.00 μg/mL for free CAR to these three bacteria. Its antibacterial mechanism appeared to involve destruction of the integrity of the bacterial cell wall and biomembrane, leading to a leakage of AKP and inhibition of biofilm formation. In vivo, CAR@glycygel effectively stopped bleeding. When applied to skin wounds on rats infected with MRSA, CAR@glycygel had strong bactericidal activity and improved wound healing. The wound healing rates for CAR@glycygel were 49.59 ± 15.78 %, 93.02 ± 3.09 % and 99.02 ± 0.55 % on day 3, day 7, and day 11, respectively, which were much better than blank control and positive control groups. Mechanisms of CAR@glycygel accelerating wound healing involved facilitating epidermis remolding, promoting the growth of hair follicles, stimulating collagen deposition, mitigating inflammation, and promoting angiogenesis. Overall, CAR@glycygel showed great potential as wound dressing for infected skin wounds.
Keywords: Carvacrol; Glycyrrhizin; Hydrogel; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Wound healing
MeSH terms
Wound Healing; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Hydrogels; Animals; Glycyrrhizic Acid; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cymenes; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Male; Escherichia coli; Staphylococcal Infections
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