title: In vitro microbial inhibition and cellular response to novel biodegradable composite wound dressings with controlled release of antibiotics.
abstract: About 70% of all people with severe burns die from related infections, despite advances in treatment regimens and the best efforts of nurses and doctors. Although silver-eluting wound dressings are available for addressing this problem, there is growing evidence of the deleterious effects of such dressings in delaying the healing process owing to cellular toxicity. A new concept of antibiotic-eluting composite wound dressings is described here. These dressings are based on a polyglyconate mesh coated with a porous poly-(dl-lactic-co-glycolic acid) matrix loaded with antibiotic drugs. The effect of antibiotic release on bacterial inhibition was studied, and cell cytotoxicity was examined. The dressings resulted in a 99.99% decrease in the viable counts of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus albus at very high initial inoculations of 10⁷-10⁸ CFU ml⁻¹ after only 1 day, while such a decrease in Staphylococcus aureus was obtained within 3 days. Bacterial inhibition zones around the dressing material were found to persist for 2 weeks, indicating a long-lasting antimicrobial effect. Despite severe toxicity to bacteria, the dressing material was found to have no toxic effect on cultured fibroblasts, indicating that the new antibiotic-eluting wound dressings represent an effective option for selective treatment of bacterial infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tel-Aviv University, Israel.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Elsner
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Berdicevsky
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zilberman
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D001458:Bandages; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003470:Culture Media / Q000494:pharmacology; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004655:Emulsions; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D013997:Time Factors; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003470:Culture Media; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004655:Emulsions