Electrospun polyvinyl alcohol fibres incorporating an antimicrobial gel for enzymatically controlled reactive oxygen species release

Wounds pose a risk to the skin,our body's primary defence against infections.The rise of antibiotic resistance has prompted the development of novel therapies.RO-101^(■)is an antimicrobial gel that delivers therapeutic levels of hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2)),a reactive oxygen species,directly to the wound bed.In this study,electrospinning was used to incorporate RO-101^(■)into a polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)sub-micron fibrous mesh that can act as a delivery agent,achieve a sustained release profile,and provide a barrier against infection.Adequate incorporation of this gel into sub-micron fibres was confirmed via nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.Furthermore,scanning electron microscopy exhibited smooth and uniform meshes with diameters in the 200-500 nm range.PVA/RO-101 electrospun meshes generated H_(2)O_(2) in concentrations exceeding 1 m M/(g·m L)(1 m M=1 mmol/L)after 24 h,and the role of sterilisation on H_(2)O_(2) release was evaluated.PVA/RO-101meshes exhibited antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus)and Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa(P.aeruginosa)bacteria,achieving viable count reductions of up to 1 log unit CFU/mm^(2)(CFU:colony-forming units).Moreover,these meshes were capable of disrupting biofilm formation,even against multidrug-resistant organisms such as methicillin-resistant S.aureus(MRSA).Furthermore,increasing the RO-101^(■)concentration resulted in higher H_(2)O_(2) production and an enhanced antimicrobial effect,while fibroblast cell viability and proliferation tests showed a concentration-dependent response with high cytocompatibility at low RO-101^(■)concentrations.This study therefore demonstrates the potential of highly absorbent PVA/RO-101 meshes as potential antimicrobial wound dressings.