Abstract
BackgroundTreatment of severe or chronic skin wounds is an important challenge facing medicine and a significant health care burden. Proper wound healing is often affected by bacterial infection; where biofilm formation is one of the main risks and particularly problematic because it confers protection to microorganisms against antibiotics. One avenue to prevent bacterial colonization of wounds is the use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs); which have proved to be effective against non-multidrug-resistant and multidrug-resistant bacteria. In addition, the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) is an excellent option to improve wound healing due to their capability for differentiation and release of relevant growth factors. Finally, radiosterilized pig skin (RPS) is a biomatrix successfully used as wound dressing to avoid massive water loss, which represents an excellent carrier to deliver MSC into wound beds. Together, AgNPs, RPS and MSC represent a potential dressing to control massive water loss, prevent bacterial infection and enhance skin regeneration; three essential processes for appropriate wound healing with minimum scaring.ResultsWe synthesized stable 10 nm-diameter spherical AgNPs that showed 21- and 16-fold increase in bacteria growth inhibition (in comparison to antibiotics) against clinical strains Staphylococcus aureus and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, respectively. RPS samples were impregnated with different AgNPs suspensions to develop RPS-AgNPs nanocomposites with different AgNPs concentrations. Nanocomposites showed inhibition zones, in Kirby–Bauer assay, against both clinical bacteria tested. Nanocomposites also displayed antibiofilm properties against S. aureus and S. maltophilia from RPS samples impregnated with 250 and 1000 ppm AgNPs suspensions, respectively. MSC were isolated from adipose tissue and seeded on nanocomposites; cells survived on nanocomposites impregnated with up to 250 ppm AgNPs suspensions, showing 35% reduction in cell viability, in comparison to cells on RPS. Cells on nanocomposites proliferated with culture days, although the number of MSC on nanocomposites at 24 h of culture was lower than that on RPS.ConclusionsAgNPs with better bactericide activity than antibiotics were synthesized. RPS-AgNPs nanocomposites impregnated with 125 and 250 ppm AgNPs suspensions decreased bacterial growth, decreased biofilm formation and were permissive for survival and proliferation of MSC; constituting promising multi-functional dressings for successful treatment of skin wounds.
Highlights
Treatment of severe or chronic skin wounds is an important challenge facing medicine and a signifi‐ cant health care burden
We report the synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) that were used to impregnate radiosterilized pig skin (RPS) samples, to generate nanocomposites (RPS-AgNPs) that simultaneously displayed antimicrobial properties and were permissive for adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSC) culture
AgNPs were analyzed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and results confirmed that synthesized silver nanoparticles were well dispersed and presented pseudo-spherical shapes (Fig. 1c)
Summary
Treatment of severe or chronic skin wounds is an important challenge facing medicine and a signifi‐ cant health care burden. AgNPs, RPS and MSC represent a potential dressing to control massive water loss, prevent bacterial infection and enhance skin regeneration; three essential processes for appropriate wound healing with minimum scaring. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) represent a very good option as topical antibacterial agents to treat locally infected lesions or to prevent wound infections [14,15,16,17]. Because of their size, AgNPs can penetrate the bacterial wall, affecting its integrity and the viability of bacteria. AgNPs generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can bind to different proteins, altering bacterial metabolism [18]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
