RESUMO
Owing to its exposed nature, the skin can be injured by various factors, including by Staphylococcus aureus, which inhabits its innate microbiota. Treatment of infected wounds presents an important challenge, making it imperative to develop new treatment options. Plant-derived formulations, such as those containing Melaleuca alternifolia essential oil (MaEO), are used for wound treatment because of their healing, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. This study presents a cream containing 2% MaEO (2% CMa) and evaluates its effects in an S. aureus-infected wound murine model. The 2% CMa was subjected to quality control testing and pH and analysis of density, organoleptic characteristics, and microbiological effects. The quality control parameters all revealed the good stability of the 2% CMa. The formulation strongly reduced the S. aureus ATCC 6538 colony-forming unit (CFU) count in an ex vivo porcine skin model. In the murine model, daily topical application of 2% CMa reduced the severity and size of S. aureus-infected wounds and the bacterial load. These effects may be due to the presence of terpinen-4-ol, which exhibits anti-inflammatory activity. Based on these findings, the formulation exhibits good quality and safety. We suggest the topical application of this formulation, which exhibited an antimicrobial effect, as an interesting treatment strategy for wound healing.
Assuntos
Melaleuca , Óleos Voláteis , Infecções Estafilocócicas , Staphylococcus aureus , Cicatrização , Animais , Cicatrização/efeitos dos fármacos , Staphylococcus aureus/efeitos dos fármacos , Camundongos , Melaleuca/química , Óleos Voláteis/farmacologia , Óleos Voláteis/administração & dosagem , Suínos , Infecções Estafilocócicas/tratamento farmacológico , Infecções Estafilocócicas/microbiologia , Infecção dos Ferimentos/tratamento farmacológico , Infecção dos Ferimentos/microbiologia , Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Antibacterianos/administração & dosagem , Óleo de Melaleuca/farmacologia , Óleo de Melaleuca/administração & dosagem , Óleo de Melaleuca/química , Pele/efeitos dos fármacos , Pele/microbiologia , Produtos Biológicos/farmacologia , Produtos Biológicos/administração & dosagem , Produtos Biológicos/química , Feminino , Modelos Animais de Doenças , MasculinoRESUMO
Staphylococcus aureus is a pathogen widely involved in wound infection due to its ability to release several virulence factors that impair the skin healing process, as well as its mechanism of drug resistance. Herein, sodium alginate and chitosan were combined to produce a hydrogel for topical delivery of neomycin to combat S. aureus associated with skin complications. The hydrogel was formulated by combining sodium alginate (50 mg/mL) and chitosan (50 mg/mL) solutions in a ratio of 9:1 (HBase). Neomycin was added to HBase to achieve a concentration of 0.4 mg/mL (HNeo). The incorporation of neomycin into the product was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, FTIR and TGA analysis. The hydrogels produced are homogeneous, have a high swelling capacity, and show biocompatibility using erythrocytes and fibroblasts as models. The formulations showed physicochemical and pharmacological stability for 60 days at 4 ± 2 °C. HNeo totally inhibited the growth of S. aureus after 4 h. The antimicrobial effects were confirmed using ex vivo (porcine skin) and in vivo (murine) wound infection models. Furthermore, the HNeo-treated mice showed lower severity scores than those treated with HBase. Taken together, the obtained results present a new low-cost bioproduct with promising applications in treating infected wounds.