Lipid Liquid Crystal Nanoparticles: Promising Photosensitizer Carriers for the Treatment of Infected Cutaneous Wounds

oleh: Muhammed Awad, Zlatko Kopecki, Timothy J. Barnes, Anthony Wignall, Paul Joyce, Nicky Thomas, Clive A. Prestidge

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-01-01

Deskripsi

Cutaneous chronic wounds impose a silent pandemic that affects the lives of millions worldwide. The delayed healing process is usually complicated by opportunistic bacteria that infect wounds. <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> is one of the most prevalent bacteria in infected cutaneous wounds, with the ability to form antibiotic-resistant biofilms. Recently, we have demonstrated the potential of gallium protoporphyrin lipid liquid crystalline nanoparticles (GaPP-LCNP) as a photosensitizer against <i>S. aureus</i> biofilms in vitro. Herein, we investigate the potential of GaPP-LCNP using a pre-clinical model of infected cutaneous wounds. GaPP-LCNP showed superior antibacterial activity compared to unformulated GaPP, reducing biofilm bacterial viability by 5.5 log<sub>10</sub> compared to 2.5 log<sub>10</sub> in an ex vivo model, and reducing bacterial viability by 1 log<sub>10</sub> in vivo, while unformulated GaPP failed to reduce bacterial burden. Furthermore, GaPP-LCNP significantly promoted wound healing through reduction in the bacterial burden and improved early collagen deposition. These findings pave the way for future pre-clinical investigation and treatment optimizations to translate GaPP-LCNP towards clinical application.