The Development of a Novel Multi-dimensional Product for Wound Healing Applications

Abstract

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL MULTI-DIMENSIONAL PRODUCT FOR POTENTIAL WOUND HEALING APPLICATIONS By Necrisha N.C. Roach, B.B.A. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010. Major Director: Dorne R. Yager Associate Professor and Director of Research, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery A characteristic feature of chronic wounds is a prolonged inflammatory response as well as susceptibility to infection. Studies have shown that during the inflammatory response, there is a significant increase in the levels of neutrophil-derived enzymes. The purpose of this work was to determine whether the anionic macromolecule polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) and five of its salt forms, namely PSS-calcium, PSS-chlorhexidine, PSSdoxycycline, PSS-glutathione and PSS-silver are able to inhibit the activity of three of the enzymes whose levels are elevated in chronic wounds: elastase, cathepsin G and myeloperoxidase. In addition to the enzyme inhibition study, the various formulations’ antimicrobial properties were analyzed by evaluating their ability to inhibit the growth of three common clinical isolates: Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumanii. It is worthy to note that the structure of PSS makes it a very flexible platform to which other molecules can be added in order to address a variety of “targets” as well as tailor quantitative strength.