ENZYME BASED ANTISEPTIC WOUND DRESSING

TOPICAL ANTIBACTERIAL AGENTS ARE WIDELY USED ON BURN WOULDS IN AN OFTEN UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO PREVENT/TREAT INFECTION. APPLICATIONS OF THESE ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS REQUIRES THE REMOVAL OF THE SYNTHETIC DRESSING. THIS IS FREQUENTLY PAINFUL NECESSITATING NARCOTIC ANALGESIA OR GENERAL ANESTHESIA. THERE IS A NEED, THEREFORE, FOR WOUND DRESSING THAT MINIMIZES OR SUBSTANTIALLY PREVENTS WOUND ASSOCIATE INFECTION AT THE DRESSING-TISSUE INTERFACE WITHOUT REMOVAL OF THE DRESSING. THIS RESEARCH GRANT APPLICATION PROPOSES DEVELOPMENT OF AN ENZYME BASED ANTISEPTIC WOUND DRESSING (EBAW DRESSING). THEEBAW DRESSING WOULD BE A SUBSTANTIALLY NON-TOXIC POROUS POLYURETHANE POLYMER SUPPORT MATRIX TO WHICH THE ENZYME GLUCOSE OXIDASE IS IMMOBILIZED. DIFFUSION OF GLUCOSE PRESENT IN ADJACENT TISSUE TO THE ACTIVE SITE OF THE ENZYME WOULD GENERATE HYDROGEN PEROXIDE WHICH WOULD DIFFUSE INTO THE WOUND TISSUE INTERFACE. WHEN THE WOUND HAS HEALED TO THE POINT OF PREVENTING THE DIFFUSION OF GLUCOSE FROM THE BODILY ENVIRONMENT, THEN THE PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDEWOULD CEASE. THUS, THE EBAW DRESSING WOULD PROVIDE A CONTINUOUS SELF-REGULATING ANTISEPTIC EFFECT. THE AIM OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP EBAW DRESSING WITH GOOD MECHANICAL AND OXYGEN DELIVERY PROPERTIES AND WHICH EXHIBITS LONG-TERM GLUCOSE DEPENDENT ANTISEPSIS. IN VITRO AND IN VIVO ANIMAL STUDIES ARE PLANNED TO VERIFY THE PROTOTYPE EBAW DRESSINGS PRODUCED. CLINICAL EVALUATION IS SCHEDULED FOR SBIR PHASE II.