Healthcare Technologies Institute, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, UK.
Department of Microbes, Infection & Microbiomes, College of Medicine & Health, University of Birmingham, UK; Institute of Microbiology & Infection, University of Birmingham, UK.
Biomater Adv. 2025 Jan;166:214051. doi: 10.1016/j.bioadv.2024.214051. Epub 2024 Sep 23.
Acetic acid is a promising alternative to antibiotics for topical applications, particularly burn wounds, however its site specificity and retention are impaired by poor material properties. In this study, acetic acid was investigated as both the gelling agent and antimicrobial active in alginate fluid gels. The formed microstructure was found to be directly dependent on acetic acid concentration, leading to highly tuneable material properties. At clinically relevant concentrations of 2.5-5 % acetic acid, the fluid gels were elastically dominated at rest, with viscosities up to 7 orders of magnitude greater than acetic acid alone. These material properties imparted long term surface retention and microparticle barrier function, not seen with either acetic acid or alginate solutions. Most notably, sprayability was enhanced simultaneously with the increased viscosity and elasticity due to the introduction of a discretised microstructure, leading to a remarkable tenfold increase in spray coverage. Formulation was found not to inhibit antimicrobial activity, despite the less acidic pH, with common burn wound pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa being equally susceptible to the fluid gels as to acetic acid solutions.
醋酸是一种有前途的抗生素替代物，特别适用于局部应用，例如烧伤伤口，但由于其较差的材料性能，其局部特异性和保留性受到损害。在这项研究中，醋酸既被用作藻酸盐流体凝胶的胶凝剂，也被用作抗菌活性剂。研究发现，所形成的微观结构直接取决于醋酸的浓度，从而使材料性能具有高度可调性。在临床相关浓度的 2.5-5%的醋酸下，流体凝胶在静止时以弹性为主，其粘度比单独的醋酸高 7 个数量级。这些材料性能赋予了长期的表面保留和微粒阻隔功能，这是醋酸或藻酸盐溶液所没有的。值得注意的是，由于引入了离散的微观结构，可同时提高粘度和弹性，从而使喷雾覆盖面积显著增加了十倍。尽管 pH 值较低，但配方并没有抑制抗菌活性，常见的烧伤伤口病原体金黄色葡萄球菌和铜绿假单胞菌对流体凝胶的敏感性与对醋酸溶液的敏感性相当。
