Development of Antimicrobial Peptide-Conjugated GelMa Hydrogel-Based Wound Dressing and Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity

The design and manufacture of wound dressing, which has an important place in wound care, is an essential part of the worldwide wound care market. Currently, the production of wound dressings has reached higher standards thus, recent studies are aimed to advance some features such as tissue regeneration, wound healing, oxygen exchange, and prevention of microbial colonization. Hydrogels are preferred in the dressing market due to their non-adhesive properties, high water content, and capability of providing a moist environment for wound healing. GelMa hydrogel has the ability to mimic the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) due to its tunable physical and biological properties. However, the lack of antimicrobial properties of GelMa hydrogels limits their use as wound dressings. Therefore, antimicrobial peptides (AMP), known as host defense molecules, are ideal candidates to provide antimicrobial properties to hydrogels. There are important studies on the development of new generation antimicrobial wound dressings by conjugating AMPs to biomaterials. In this study, P9-4 AMP with KWRRWIRWL sequence, which has been reported to be effective against microorganisms, was used for the conjugation with GelMa hydrogel to provide antimicrobial activity on Gram (-) and Gram (+) microorganisms. In order to increase the efficiency of conjugation, P9-4 antimicrobial peptide was conjugated on the surface of GelMa hydrogel. The results of this study will assist in the development of dressings for use in the treatment of infected wounds.