Wound dressing materials help wounds heal quickly

Bandages made from this material have a precise effect; they remain effective for a long time and do not need to be changed – a new bandage can be placed right on top of the old one.

The history of bandages is rich, with the names of Hippocrates, Paracelsus and other world-famous healers. Ancient wool and linen bandages were soaked in oil. In the 19th century, Nikolai Pirogov proposed a method of disinfecting wounds – washing the wound with a solution and applying an absorbent bandage to increase the flow of fluid.

However, even modern treatments for burns and cuts, which require disinfection, antibiotics, and frequent dressing changes, have side effects. Antibiotics kill not only dangerous microorganisms but also beneficial bacteria. In addition, dressing changes disrupt the integrity of the newly healed skin, causing pain for the patient.

MISiS scientists and European colleagues have created a biocompatible dressing material that can act locally on inflammation without the need for dressing changes – after releasing antibiotics, the dressing gradually dissolves into the skin. If needed, a new dressing can be placed directly on top of the old one.

“We created a bandage based on polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers – a biocompatible, self-absorbing material – and implanted gentamicin (GM, a broad-spectrum antibiotic) on the surface of these nanofibers,” says one of the authors, researcher Yelizaveta Permyakova at the MISiS Laboratory of Inorganic Nanomaterials. “Interestingly, the material showed a long-lasting effect: we observed a significant decrease in the number of bacteria even 48 hours after application. Typically, surfaces with antibacterial effects gradually lose their ability within the first day or a few hours after application.”

The experiment was conducted using three strains of Escherichia coli (E.coli) bacteria with different antibiotic resistances, but in all three cases, they saw a strong antibacterial effect.

As the scientists note, this material has potential not only for skin but can also be used in the treatment of inflammatory bone diseases such as osteoporosis and osteomyelitis.

The scientists continue to test and improve the material: their plans include implanting other antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin, onto the fibers. It's a new generation antibiotic, so most bacteria haven't developed resistance to it yet.

Additionally, they plan to enhance the performance of the material by creating multilayered patterns that include antibiotics, heparin to reduce blood clotting at the wound surface, and antibiotics again.