• Khan, Barkat Ali
• Uzair, Bushra
• Abbasi, Zukhra
• Menaa, Farid
• Aqib, Amjad Islam
• Ahmad, Irfan
• Saeed, Mohd

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Multidrug-resistant wound infections are a global health threat and a leading cause of death, persisting despite available treatments due to antibiotic resistance, biofilms, and ineffective drug delivery systems. The aim of this study is to (i) formulate an innovative nano-drug delivery system (NDDS) based on a Carbopol nanoemulgel (NEG) co-loaded with neomycin-silver/zinc oxide nanocomposite (NC) that could fight clinical MDR and treat biofilm-forming wound pathogens through topical application, and (ii) assess its <jats:italic>in vivo</jats:italic> wound-healing potential. The silver/zinc oxide (Ag/ZnO) NC was synthesized by co-inoculating the metabolites of <jats:italic>Aspergillus welwitschiae</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Meyerozyma guilliermondii</jats:italic>. The synthesized NC was then conjugated with neomycin and loaded into a Carbopol NEG for efficient topical delivery. The resulting Neo-Ag/ZnO NEG was characterized physicochemically (<jats:italic>e.g.</jats:italic>, UV-visible [UV-Vis] spectrophotometry, field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared [FTIR] spectroscopy), biologically (<jats:italic>e.g.</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>in vitro</jats:italic> antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and hemolytic activities), and pharmacologically (<jats:italic>e.g.</jats:italic>, drug content, <jats:italic>ex vivo</jats:italic> drug release behavior, and <jats:italic>in vivo</jats:italic> wound-healing potential). The physicochemical analysis confirmed the successful mycosynthesis of the Carbopol NEG-loaded Neo-Ag/ZnO NC. SEM depicted a crystalline polyhedral shape of the small NC (average particle size of 38 nm). FTIR studies showed a slight interaction with the drug and other bioactive moieties in the Carbopol NEG. The Neo content in the Carbopol NEG was as high as 98%, and a maximum release of 81% for Neo, Ag, and ZnO ions was noticed after 12 h. The NDDS appeared hemocompatible and displayed a minimal inhibition concentration of 0.002 µg/mL with the greatest antimicrobial potential against <jats:italic>S. aureus</jats:italic> (an inhibition zone of 46 mm) compared to other tested wound microbes (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> &lt; 0.05). Statistically significant wound-healing activity was found for NDDS (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> = 0.0001) in comparison to the control at a concentration of 100 mg/mL. The results showed that this newly developed Carbopol NEG-loaded neo-Ag/ZnO NC appeared promising for controlling resistant skin infections and boosting wound regeneration.</jats:p>

Topics

• nanocomposite
• impedance spectroscopy
• silver
• scanning electron microscopy
• x-ray diffraction
• zinc
• forming
• spectrophotometry