Gallium‐Loaded Dissolvable Microfilm Constructs that Provide Sustained Release of Ga3+ for Management of Biofilms
Abstract
The persistence of bacterial biofilms in chronic wounds delays wound healing. Although Ga3+ can inhibit or kill biofilms, precipitation as Ga(OH)3 has prevented its use as a topical wound treatment. The design of a microfilm construct comprising a polyelectrolyte film that releases noncytotoxic concentrations of Ga3+ over 20 d and a dissolvable micrometer‐thick film of polyvinylalcohol that enables facile transfer onto biomedically important surfaces is reported. By using infrared spectroscopy, it is shown that the density of free carboxylate/carboxylic acid and amine groups within the polyelectrolyte film regulates the capacity of the construct to be loaded with Ga3+ and that the density of covalent cross‐links introduced into the polyelectrolyte film (amide‐bonds) controls the release rate of Ga3+. Following transfer onto the wound‐contact surface of a biologic wound dressing, an optimized construct is demonstrated to release ≈0.7 μg cm−2 d−1 of Ga3+ over 3 weeks, thus continuously replacing Ga3+ lost to precipitation. The optimized construct inhibits formation of P. aeruginosa (two strains; ATCC 27853 and PA01) biofilms for up to 4 d and causes pre‐existing biofilms to disperse. Overall, this study provides designs of polymeric constructs that permit facile modification of the wound‐contacting surfaces of dressings and biomaterials to manage biofilms.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Nov 24, 2015
- Source ID
- 10.1002/adhm.201500599
Entities
People
- Charles J. Czuprynski
- Christopher J. Murphy
- Jonathan F. Mcanulty
- Maggie Herron
- Michael J. Schurr
- Nicholas L Abbott
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- Department of Surgery
- National Institutes of Health
- National Science Foundation
- University of California, Davis
- University of Wisconsin–Madison