Characterization and Molecular Modelling of Non-Antibiotic Nanohybrids for Wound Healing Purposes
Caterina Valentino,
Tomás Martínez Rodríguez,
Ana Borrego-Sánchez,
Pablo Hernández Benavides,
Francisco Arrebola Vargas,
José Manuel Paredes,
Silvia Rossi,
Claro Ignacio Sainz Díaz,
Giuseppina Sandri,
Pietro Grisoli,
María del Mar Medina Pérez,
Carola Aguzzi
Affiliations
Caterina Valentino
Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Viale Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Tomás Martínez Rodríguez
Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, Cartuja Campus, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Ana Borrego-Sánchez
Instituto de Ciencia Molecular, Universitat de València, Carrer del Catedrátic José Beltrán Martinez 2, 46980 Paterna, Spain
Pablo Hernández Benavides
Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, Cartuja Campus, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Francisco Arrebola Vargas
Department of Histology, Institute of Neurosciences, Centre for Biomedical Research (CIBM), University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
José Manuel Paredes
Nanoscopy-UGR Laboratory, Department of Physical Chemistry, Unidad de Excelencia en Quimica Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente UEQ, University of Granada, Cartuja Campus, 18071 Granada, Spain
Silvia Rossi
Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Viale Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Claro Ignacio Sainz Díaz
Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC-University of Granada), 18100 Armilla, Spain
Giuseppina Sandri
Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Viale Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Pietro Grisoli
Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Viale Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy
María del Mar Medina Pérez
Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, Cartuja Campus, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Carola Aguzzi
Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, Cartuja Campus, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
The healing process of chronic wounds continues to be a current clinical challenge, worsened by the risk of microbial infections and bacterial resistance to the most frequent antibiotics. In this work, non-antibiotic nanohybrids based on chlorhexidine dihydrochloride and clay minerals have been developed in order to design advanced therapeutic systems aimed to enhance wound healing in chronic lesions. To prepare the nanohybrids, two methodologies have been compared: the intercalation solution procedure and the spray-drying technique, the latter as a one-step process able to reduce preparation times. Nanohybrids were then fully studied by solid state characterization techniques. Computational calculations were also performed to assess the interactions between the drug and the clays at the molecular level. In vitro human fibroblast biocompatibility and antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were assessed to check biocompatibility and potential microbicidal effects of the obtained nanomaterials. The results demonstrated the effective organic/inorganic character of the nanohybrids with homogeneous drug distribution into the clayey structures, which had been confirmed by classical mechanics calculations. Good biocompatibility and microbicidal effects were also observed, especially for the spray-dried nanohybrids. It was suggested that it could be due to a greater contact area with target cells and bacterial suspensions.
