CMCS-PVA@CA hydrogel dressing: A promoter of wound healing with MRSA virulence attenuation function

Yawen Gao; Xuening Li; Yanan Yang; Hongsu Wang; Xiaodi Niu

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.139614

CMCS-PVA@CA hydrogel dressing: A promoter of wound healing with MRSA virulence attenuation function

Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Jan 8:139614. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.139614. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yawen Gao¹, Xuening Li², Yanan Yang³, Hongsu Wang², Xiaodi Niu⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Food Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China; School of Biological Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong 723001, PR China.
² College of Food Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China.
³ College of Food Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China; Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Suzhou Polytechnic Institute of Agriculture, Suzhou 215008, PR China.
⁴ College of Food Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, PR China. Electronic address: niuxd@jlu.edu.cn.

PMID: 39793835
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.139614

Abstract

Traditional wound dressings, primarily centered on antimicrobial or bactericidal strategies, have inadvertently contributed to the rise of drug-resistant bacterial colonies at wound sites, thus prolonging the healing process. In this study, we developed an innovative hydrogel dressing, CMCS-PVA@CA, incorporating carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and cichoric acid (CA), specifically designed to treat skin wounds infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Computational biology analyses reveal that CA exerts substantial anti-virulence activity by targeting serine/threonine phosphatase (Stp1), achieving an IC₅₀ of 3.912 μM, thereby mitigating MRSA pathogenicity. Notably, CA lacks intrinsic antibacterial properties, minimizing the risk of fostering drug resistance. Furthermore, CMCS-PVA@CA demonstrates effective wound healing acceleration and meets clinical application standards, with its robust mechanical properties enhancing patient comfort. In essence, this study presents CMCS-PVA@CA as a promising hydrogel dressing offering a viable solution for treating drug-resistant bacterial infections in skin wounds.

Keywords: Anti-virulence; Hydrogel dressing; Staphylococcus aureus.