| Summary: | Methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (<i>S. aureus</i>) (MRSA) has become an alarming threat to public health, and infected soft tissue. Antibiotics are commonly used to treat skin infection with MRSA, but the inappropriate use of antibiotics runs a considerable risk of generating resistant <i>S. aureus</i>. In this study, we created a cysteine-capped hydrogel able to absorb and release copper, an ion with the capability of suppressing the growth of USA300, a community-acquired MRSA. The results of analysis of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed the binding of copper to a cysteine-capped hydrogel. The topical application of a cysteine-capped hydrogel binding with copper on USA300-infected skin wounds in the dorsal skin of Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice significantly enhanced wound healing, hindered the growth of USA300, and reduced the production of pro-inflammatory macrophage inflammatory protein 2-alpha (MIP-2) cytokine. Our work demonstrates a newly designed hydrogel that conjugates a cysteine molecule for copper binding. The cysteine-capped hydrogel can potentially chelate various antimicrobial metals as a novel wound dressing.
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