Bacteria-triggered release of a potent biocide from core-shell polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-based nanofibers for wound dressing applications

Abstract

Bacterial infections are a serious issue in wound healing. Extensive use of biocides in wound dressings have raised concerns of biocide resistance and unnecessary harm to normal skin cells. In this paper, we report a new approach to realize bacteria-triggered release of a biocide to the sites of bacterial infections from core-shell polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-based nanofibers prepared by coaxial electrospinning. The hydrophobic PHA-based shell can prevent the biocide from undesirable payload release in physiological environments without pathogens. However, in the presence of pathogens, the PHA-based shell is degraded by the pathogens, and the encapsulated biocide is released. The released biocide subsequently can exert targeted antimicrobial effects on the bacteria. Using Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a model bacterium and dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride as a model biocide, we demonstrated that the core-shell PHA-based nanofibers effectively released encapsulated dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride in the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, resulting in targeted inactivation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells.

Highlights

• Unique core-shell nanofibers were successfully fabricated from PHAs generated by bacteria.

• An on-demand release of biocide was achieved from a PHA-based core-shell nanofibours membrane.

• The membrane’s mechanical properties closely match those of the human skin.

Keywords:

• Polyhydroxyalkanoates
• Nanofibers
• Electrospinning
• Wound dressing applications

Acknowledgment

This work was financially supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) under Discovery grant No. RGPIN-2019-06094 and NO. RGPIN-2016-05929.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) under Discovery grant No. RGPIN-2019-06094 and NO. RGPIN-2016-05929.