Amino Acid-Based Material for the Complementary Therapy of Decubitus Ulcers

Chronic wounds, pressure sores, lesions, and infections of microbial origin in bedridden, paralyzed, or malnutrition patients remain the object of study of many researchers. A variety of factors behind the development of these disorders are related to the patient's immune system, making it unable to respond effectively to the treatment of the wound. These factors can be properly controlled, giving particular importance to the ethiology and stage of the wound, as well as the time periods corresponding to the replacement of the dressings. The present research reports a novel foam/soft material, L-Cys-g-PCL, with an application for decubitus/pressure ulcers, especially for wounds with a difficult healing process due to infections and constant oxidation of the soft tissues. During this work, the interactions between S. aureus and L-Cys-g-PCL foam were studied under conditions that simulate decubitus ulcers; namely, pH and exudate. The effects of duration of grafting (1 or 8 h) and pH (7.0 and 8.9) on wettability, surface energy, swelling, and porosity were also evaluated. Results showed an effective microbicidal activity exhibiting an inhibition ratio of 99.73% against S. aureus. This new L-Cys-g-PCL soft material showed saftey to contact skin, ability to be shaped to fill in sunken holes (craters) - pressure ulcers stage III - and to act as a smart material responsive to pH, which can be tailored to develop better swelling properties at alkaline pH where exudates are normally higher, so as to address exudate self-cleaning and prevention of desiccation.