Phage therapy combined with Gum Karaya injectable hydrogels for treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus deep wound infection in a porcine model

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Authors	VACEK Lukáš POLAŠTÍK KLEKNEROVÁ Dominika LIPOVÝ Břetislav HOLOUBEK Jakub MATYSKOVÁ Dominika CERNA E. BRTNIKOVA J. JEKLOVA E. KOBZOVA S. JANDA L. LIŠKOVÁ Lenka DIABELKO Daniel BOTKA Tibor PANTŮČEK Roman RŮŽIČKA Filip VOJTOVA L.
Year of publication	2024
Type	Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source	International Journal of Pharmaceutics
MU Faculty or unit	Faculty of Medicine
Citation
Web	https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378517324005829?via%3Dihub
Doi	http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124348
Keywords	Bacteriophage; Phage therapy; Gum Karaya; Hydrogel film; Injectable hydrogel; Staphylococcus aureus; MRSA
Description	Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) represent a significant healthcare challenge, particularly in the context of increasing antibiotic resistance. This study investigates the efficacy of a novel therapeutic approach combining bacteriophage (phage) therapy with a gum Karaya (GK)-based hydrogel delivery system in a porcine model of deep staphylococcal SSTIs. The study exploits the lytic activity and safety of the Staphylococcus phage 812K1/ 420 of the Kayvirus genus, which is active against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The GK injectable hydrogels and hydrogel films, developed by our research group, serve as effective, non-toxic, and easyto-apply delivery systems, supporting moist wound healing and re-epithelialization. In the porcine model, the combined treatment showed a synergistic effect, leading to a significant reduction in bacterial load (2.5 log CFU/ gram of tissue) within one week. Local signs of inflammation were significantly reduced by day 8, with clear evidence of re-epithelialization and wound contraction. Importantly, no adverse effects of the GK-based delivery system were observed throughout the study. The results highlight the potential of this innovative therapeutic approach to effectively treat deep staphylococcal SSTIs, providing a promising avenue for further research and clinical application in the field of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Related projects:	Nové přístupy k hojení infikovaných ran pomocí hydrogelů z přírodní pryskyřice Gum Karaya modifikovaných inovativními komponenty cílenými na multirezistentní kmeny bakterií