Prototype Development of the Intelligent Hydrogel Wound Dressing and Its Efficacy in the Detection of Model Pathogenic Wound Biofilms.
The early detection of wound infection in situ can dramatically improve patient care pathways and clinical outcomes. There is increasing evidence that within an infected wound the main bacterial mode of living is a biofilm: a confluent community of adherent bacteria encased in an extracellular polymeric matrix. Here we have reported the development of a prototype wound dressing, which switches on a fluorescent color when in contact with pathogenic wound biofilms. The dressing is made of a hydrated agarose film in which the fluorescent dye containing vesicles were mixed with agarose and dispersed within the hydrogel matrix. The static and dynamic models of wound biofilms, from clinical strains of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus faecalis, were established on nanoporous polycarbonate membrane for 24, 48, and 72 h, and the dressing response to the biofilms on the prototype dressing evaluated. The dressing indicated a clear fluorescent/color response within 4 h, only observed when in contact with biofilms produced by a pathogenic strain. The sensitivity of the dressing to biofilms was dependent on the species and strain types of the bacterial pathogens involved, but a relatively higher response was observed in strains considered good biofilm formers. There was a clear difference in the levels of dressing response, when dressings were tested on bacteria grown in biofilm or in planktonic cultures, suggesting that the level of expression of virulence factors is different depending of the growth mode. Colorimetric detection on wound biofilms of prevalent pathogens (S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and E. faecalis) is also demonstrated using an ex vivo porcine skin model of burn wound infection.
Department of Chemistry, University of Bath , Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom.
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Blond McIndoe Research Foundation, Queen Victoria Hospital , East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 3DZ, United Kingdom.|Queen Victoria Hospital , East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 3DZ, United Kingdom.|School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton , Brighton BN2 4GJ, United Kingdom.
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Alves
Blond McIndoe Research Foundation, Queen Victoria Hospital , East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 3DZ, United Kingdom.
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Bean
Queen Victoria Hospital , East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 3DZ, United Kingdom.|School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton , Brighton BN2 4GJ, United Kingdom.
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Booth
School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton , Brighton BN2 4GJ, United Kingdom.
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Nzakizwanayo
Healing Foundation Children's Burns Research Centre, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust , Bristol BS2 8BJ, United Kingdom.
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Young
Queen Victoria Hospital , East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 3DZ, United Kingdom.|School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton , Brighton BN2 4GJ, United Kingdom.
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Jones
Department of Chemistry, University of Bath , Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom.
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Jenkins
D001458:Bandages; D018441:Biofilms; D006801:Humans; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus; D014946:Wound Infection
D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate
Enterococcus faecalis; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Staphylococcus aureus; hydrogel dressing; vesicles; wound biofilm