Triggered release of antimicrobial peptide from microneedle patches for treatment of wound biofilms

Biofilms pose a great challenge for wound management. Herein, this study describes a near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive microneedle patch for on-demand release of antimicrobial peptide for treatment of wound biofilms. IR780 iodide as a photothermal conversion agent and molecularly engineered peptide W379 as an antimicrobial agent are loaded in dissolvable poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) microneedle patches followed by coating with a phase change material 1-tetradecanol (TD). After placing in an aqueous solution or biofilm containing wounds ex vivo and in vivo, upon exposure to NIR light, the incorporated IR780 induces light-to-heat conversion, causing the melting of TD.

This leads to the dissolution of PVP microneedles, enabling the release of loaded W379 peptide from the microneedles into surrounding regions (e.g., solution, biofilm, wound bed). Compared with traditional microneedle patches, NIR light responsive microneedle patches can program the release of antimicrobial peptide and show high antibacterial efficacy in vitro. Meanwhile, this work indicates that NIR light responsive TD-coated, W379-loaded PVP microneedle patches show excellent antibiofilm activities ex vivo and in vivo. Additionally, this microneedle system could be a promising platform for delivering other antimicrobial agents.

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Materials

TD, IR780, PVP (Mw = 130 kDa), ethyl acetate, and other chemicals were obtained from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA) and used directly without further purification. The polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mold was purchased from Blueacre Technology (Dundalk, Co Louth, Ireland). The W379 peptide (95% pure) was bought from GeneMed Synthesis (San Antonio, TX, USA). MRSA USA300 LAC was obtained from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). Fetal bovine serum (FBS), Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM) and RPMI 1640 medium were obtained from Thermo Fisher Scientific Gibco (Waltham, MA, USA).

Yajuan Su, Syed Muntazir Andrabi, S.M. Shatil Shahriar, Shannon L. Wong, Guangshun Wang, Jingwei Xie, Triggered release of antimicrobial peptide from microneedle patches for treatment of wound biofilms, Journal of Controlled Release, Volume 356, 2023,Pages 131-141,  ISSN 0168-3659, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.02.030.