An in situ dressing material containing a multi-armed antibiotic for healing irregular wounds

Abstract

Acute and infected wounds resulting from accidents, battlefield trauma, or surgical interventions have become a global healthcare burden due to the complex bacterial infection environment. However, conventional gauze dressings present insufficient contact with irregular wounds and lack antibacterial activity against multi-drug-resistant bacteria. In this study, we develop in situ nanofibrous dressings tailored to fit wounds of various shapes and sizes while providing nanoscale comfort and excellent antibacterial properties. Our approach involves the fabrication of these dressings using a handheld electrospinning device that allows for the direct deposition of nanofiber dressings onto specific irregular wound sites, resulting in perfect conformal wound closure without any mismatch in 2 min. The nanofibrous dressings are loaded with multi-armed antibiotics that exhibit outstanding antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Compared to conventional vancomycin, this in situ nanofibrous dressing shows great antibacterial performance against up to 98% of multi-drug-resistant bacteria. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate the ability of in situ nanofibrous dressings to prevent multi-drug-resistant bacterial infection, greatly alleviate inflammation, and promote wound healing. Our findings highlight the potential of these personalized nanofibrous dressings for clinical applications, including emergency, accident, and surgical healthcare treatment.