Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Anti-inflammatory Nanoplatform for Effective Management of Infected Wounds.

Burn wound healing continues to pose significant challenges due to excessive inflammation, the risk of infection, and impaired tissue regeneration. In this regard, we have developed an antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory nanocomposite (called HPA) which combines a nanosystem using hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene and the natural polyphenol of Phloretin with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). HPA effectively disperses AgNPs to mitigate any toxicity caused by aggregation, while also showing the pharmacological activities of Phloretin. During the initial stage of wound healing, HPA rapidly releases silver ions from its surface to suppress bacterial activity. Moreover, these nanoparticles are pH sensitive and degrade efficiently in the acidic infection microenvironment, gradually releasing Phloretin. This sustained release of Phloretin helps scavenge overexpressed reactive oxygen species in the infected microenvironment area, thus reducing the upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. We validated the antibacterial activity, free radical clearance, and regulation of inflammatory factors of HPA through in vitro experiments. Additionally, we evaluated its effects using an infectious burn mouse model in vivo. HPA was found to promote collagen deposition and epithelialization in the wound area. With its synergistic antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities, as well as favorable biocompatibilities, HPA shows great promise as a safe and effective multifunctional nanoplatform for burn injury wound dressings. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.