DEVELOPING AN ANTIMICROBIAL WOUND DRESSING MODEL FOR DIABETIC FOOT ULCERATION

Abstract

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) remains a global health challenge, with undiagnosed diabetic neuropathy (DN) being its leading risk factor. Delayed DN diagnosis worsens prognosis and leads to secondary complications, burdening patients, and the healthcare system. The main challenges in DFU treatment are wound infection and healing, as the chronicity of infected wounds is closely associated with microbial biofilms that worsen the ulcer. Furthermore, the microbiological flora of the wound is diverse and highly pathogenic, especially with drug-resistant bacteria. With rising DFU prevalence and severe outcomes such as limb amputation, effective solutions are required. This study aimed to design a biodegradable graphene-based nanofiber wound dressing and functionalize it with plant- derived antimicrobial peptides (Plant-AMPs). The nanofibers and plant-AMPs were assessed for their antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi highly present in DFU. Further, we investigated the effect of AMPs, graphene nanofibers, and the combination of AMPs and graphene nanofibers (PeptideA@Graphene nanofibers) on the viability, cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and cytokine release of human fibroblast and keratinocyte cells. Our findings indicate that the selected AMP and graphene nanofibers exhibit a robust antibacterial and antifungal efficacy against the tested microbial strains, with an added assurance of non-cytotoxicity and genotoxicity towards the cells. Moreover, PeptideA@Graphene nanofibers significantly reduced the release of the proinflammatory neutrophil-attracting chemokine CXCL8, indicating that the PeptideA@Graphene nanofibers exhibited anti-inflammatory properties. Such promising in vitro results warrant further investigations using in vivo animal models and human skin tissue to assess their impact on promoting wound healing, particularly in diabetic patients with DFU.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Health & Life Sciences