bactericidal activity of a carbohydrate polymer with zinc oxide for the treatment of chronic wounds.

Biological adhesives and effective topical therapeutic agents that improve wound healing are urgently required for the treatment of chronic ulcers. A biodegradable adhesive based on a carbohydrate polymer with zinc oxide (CPZO) was shown to possess anti-inflammatory activity and enhance wound healing, but its bactericidal activity was unknown. To investigate the bactericidal activity of CPZO against bacteria commonly present as infectious agents in chronic wounds. We examined the bactericidal activity of CPZO against three biofilm-producing bacteria (, and ) through three strategies: bacterial suspension, biofilm disruption and wound biofilm model. In suspension cultures, CPZO had direct, potent bactericidal action against within 24 h, whereas took 7 days to be eliminated. By contrast, survived up to 14 days with CPZO. CPZO had biofilm disruption activity against clinical isolates of in the anti-biofilm test. Finally, in the wound biofilm model, CPZO dramatically reduced the bacterial viability of and . Together with its previously shown anti-inflammatory properties, the bactericidal activity of CPZO gives it the potential to be a first-line therapeutic option for chronic various ulcers and, possibly, other chronic ulcers, preventing or controlling microbial infections, and leading to the healing of such complicated chronic ulcers.