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Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Vol.118, No.7, 2815-2821, 2021
Hydrogen peroxide-producing electrochemical bandage controlled by a wearable potentiostat for treatment of wound infections
Chronic wound infections caused by biofilm-forming microorganisms represent a major burden to healthcare systems. Treatment of chronic wound infections using conventional antibiotics is often ineffective due to the presence of bacteria with acquired antibiotic resistance and biofilm-associated antibiotic tolerance. We previously developed an electrochemical scaffold that generates hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) at low concentrations in the vicinity of biofilms. The goal of this study was to transition our electrochemical scaffold into an H2O2-generating electrochemical bandage (e-bandage) that can be used in vivo. The developed e-bandage uses a xanthan gum-based hydrogel to maintain electrolytic conductivity between e-bandage electrodes and biofilms. The e-bandage is controlled using a lightweight, battery-powered wearable potentiostat suitable for use in animal experiments. We show that e-bandage treatment reduced colony-forming units of Acinetobacter buamannii biofilms (treatment vs. control) in 12 h (7.32 +/- 1.70 vs. 9.73 +/- 0.09 log(10)[CFU/cm(2)]) and 24 h (4.10 +/- 12.64 vs. 9.78 +/- 0.08 log(10)[CFU/cm(2)]) treatments, with 48 h treatment reducing viable cells below the limit of detection of quantitative and broth cultures. The developed H2O2-generating e-bandage was effective against in vitro A. baumannii biofilms and should be further evaluated and developed as a potential alternative to topical antibiotic treatment of wound infections.