Abstract
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (MRSA) has become an alarming threat to public health, and infected soft tissue. Antibiotics are commonly used to treat skin infection with MRSA, but the inappropriate use of antibiotics runs a considerable risk of generating resistant S. aureus. In this study, we created a cysteine-capped hydrogel able to absorb and release copper, an ion with the capability of suppressing the growth of USA300, a community-acquired MRSA. The results of analysis of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed the binding of copper to a cysteine-capped hydrogel. The topical application of a cysteine-capped hydrogel binding with copper on USA300-infected skin wounds in the dorsal skin of Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice significantly enhanced wound healing, hindered the growth of USA300, and reduced the production of pro-inflammatory macrophage inflammatory protein 2-alpha (MIP-2) cytokine. Our work demonstrates a newly designed hydrogel that conjugates a cysteine molecule for copper binding. The cysteine-capped hydrogel can potentially chelate various antimicrobial metals as a novel wound dressing.
Highlights
Pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) can cause numerous human diseases [1]
In recent years, related research has been conducted to investigate the preparation of functionalized soluble amino acid polymers into hydrogels and membranes
It was confirmed that this method successfully synthesized cysteine methacrylate
Summary
Pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) can cause numerous human diseases [1]. This serious situation is predominantly due to antibiotic-resistant strains [2]. The virulence factor of MRSA, or its ability to cause illness, might be important if the bacteria gain entry into vulnerable body sites, like massive open wounds, invasive devices, or the bloodstream. In these conditions, the bacteria might cause opportunistic infections in vulnerable patients [7]. The high affinity of histidine’s imidazole ring for metals is necessary for enzyme cofactors and protein folding [16] To these essential applications, adding amino acid functionality to polymers in a directed way can provide a means to tune metal-polymer interactions, and to add metal ion assembly properties to the resulting materials. The cysteine-capped hydrogels effectively suppressed the growth of USA300 in vivo
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