Layer-by-layer assembly of peptides-decorated coaxial nanofibrous membranes with antibiofilm and visual pH sensing capability

Abstract

The countermeasure of biofilm infections leaving a challenge due to a dense antibiotic-resistant barrier formed by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Although antibiotic alternative methods have been developed to combat biofilms, develop effective remedies coupling with timely feedback about the therapeutic effect are still in urgent demand. To this end, we construct an intelligent coaxial electrospun nanofibrous membranes (ENMs) that integrated therapy of infections and in situ visualized diagnosis. Specifically, pH-sensitive alizarin was incorporated into polyamide 6 to subtly consist core layer and curcumin (Cur) was formulated with degradable polyglycolic acid (PGA) to composed of the shell layer. The shell layer can gradually release curcumin along with the degradation of PGA. Moreover, epsilon-poly-L-lysine (ε-PL) was deposited on coaxial ENMs via layer-by-layer self-assembly technique to disturb EPS integrity. As a result of the treatment, two different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria displayed increased susceptibility to the drug hybrids. The degradation of PGA would trigger a sustained release of Cur and ε-PL, and once the core layer exposing, the acidic microenvironment of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm could be detected in situ by emerging visualized color change to timely feedback. Besides, the ENMs showed good biocompatibility. It paves a feasible and effective avenue for constructing a facile treatment and diagnosis platform for wound biofilm infections.