Bacteriophage Entrapment Strategies for the Treatment of Chronic Wound Infections: a Comprehensive Review

Overview

Journal Arch Microbiol

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2024 Oct 23

PMID 39443305

Authors

Nivedya Mohan

Kiran Bosco

Anmiya Peter

K Abhitha

Sarita G Bhat

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The growing threat of antimicrobial resistance has made the quest for antibiotic alternatives or synergists one of the most pressing priorities of the 21st century. The emergence of multidrug-resistance in most of the common wound pathogens has amplified the risk of antibiotic-resistant wound infections. Bacteriophages, with their self-replicating ability and targeted specificity, can act as suitable antibiotic alternatives. Nevertheless, targeted delivery of phages to infection sites remains a crucial issue, specifically in the case of topical infections. Hence, different phage delivery systems have been studied in recent years. However, there have been no recent reviews of phage delivery systems focusing exclusively on phage application on wounds. This review provides a compendium of all the major delivery systems that have been used to deliver phages to wound infection sites. Special focus has also been awarded to phage-embedded hydrogels with a discussion on the different aspects to be considered during their preparation.

Citing Articles

Understanding the pathophysiology of colonization as a guide for future treatment for chronic leg ulcers.

Matheus G, Chamoun M, Khosrotehrani K, Sivakumaran Y, Wells T Burns Trauma. 2025; 13():tkae083.

PMID: 39830194 PMC: 11741523. DOI: 10.1093/burnst/tkae083.

References

Abedon S . Phage therapy dosing: The problem(s) with multiplicity of infection (MOI). Bacteriophage. 2016; 6(3):e1220348. PMC: 5056779. DOI: 10.1080/21597081.2016.1220348. View

Abedon S, Kuhl S, Blasdel B, Kutter E . Phage treatment of human infections. Bacteriophage. 2012; 1(2):66-85. PMC: 3278644. DOI: 10.4161/bact.1.2.15845. View

Abedon S, Danis-Wlodarczyk K, Alves D . Phage Therapy in the 21st Century: Is There Modern, Clinical Evidence of Phage-Mediated Efficacy?. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2021; 14(11). PMC: 8625828. DOI: 10.3390/ph14111157. View

Afshinnekoo E, Bhattacharya C, Burguete-Garcia A, Castro-Nallar E, Deng Y, Desnues C . COVID-19 drug practices risk antimicrobial resistance evolution. Lancet Microbe. 2021; 2(4):e135-e136. PMC: 7906697. DOI: 10.1016/S2666-5247(21)00039-2. View

Ahmed E . Hydrogel: Preparation, characterization, and applications: A review. J Adv Res. 2015; 6(2):105-21. PMC: 4348459. DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2013.07.006. View

Akram F, Imtiaz M, Ul Haq I . Emergent crisis of antibiotic resistance: A silent pandemic threat to 21 century. Microb Pathog. 2022; 174:105923. DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2022.105923. View

Alves D, Cerqueira M, Pastrana L, Sillankorva S . Entrapment of a phage cocktail and cinnamaldehyde on sodium alginate emulsion-based films to fight food contamination by Escherichia coli and Salmonella Enteritidis. Food Res Int. 2020; 128:108791. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2019.108791. View

Attinger C, Wolcott R . Clinically Addressing Biofilm in Chronic Wounds. Adv Wound Care (New Rochelle). 2014; 1(3):127-132. PMC: 3839004. DOI: 10.1089/wound.2011.0333. View

Bai H, Borjihan Q, Li Z, Qin P, Cheng J, Xiao D . Phage-Based antibacterial hydrogels for bacterial targeting and Ablation: Progress and perspective. Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2024; 198:114258. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2024.114258. View

10.

Beschastnov V, Egorikhina M, Tulupov A, Pogodin I, Orlinskaya N, Antoshina V . Immobilization of Bacteriophages in Ex Tempore Hydrogel for the Treatment of Burn Wound Infection. Gels. 2023; 9(8). PMC: 10453372. DOI: 10.3390/gels9080625. View

11.

Bichet M, Chin W, Richards W, Lin Y, Avellaneda-Franco L, Hernandez C . Bacteriophage uptake by mammalian cell layers represents a potential sink that may impact phage therapy. iScience. 2021; 24(4):102287. PMC: 8024918. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102287. View

12.

Bichet M, Adderley J, Avellaneda-Franco L, Magnin-Bougma I, Torriero-Smith N, Gearing L . Mammalian cells internalize bacteriophages and use them as a resource to enhance cellular growth and survival. PLoS Biol. 2023; 21(10):e3002341. PMC: 10602308. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002341. View

13.

Bodner K, Melkonian A, Covert M . The Enemy of My Enemy: New Insights Regarding Bacteriophage-Mammalian Cell Interactions. Trends Microbiol. 2020; 29(6):528-541. DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2020.10.014. View

14.

Brown T, Petrovski S, Dyson Z, Seviour R, Tucci J . The Formulation of Bacteriophage in a Semi Solid Preparation for Control of Propionibacterium acnes Growth. PLoS One. 2016; 11(3):e0151184. PMC: 4786141. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151184. View

15.

Brown T, Thomas T, Odgers J, Petrovski S, Spark M, Tucci J . Bacteriophage formulated into a range of semisolid and solid dosage forms maintain lytic capacity against isolated cutaneous and opportunistic oral bacteria. J Pharm Pharmacol. 2016; 69(3):244-253. DOI: 10.1111/jphp.12673. View

16.

Cafora M, Brix A, Forti F, Loberto N, Aureli M, Briani F . Phages as immunomodulators and their promising use as anti-inflammatory agents in a cftr loss-of-function zebrafish model. J Cyst Fibros. 2020; 20(6):1046-1052. DOI: 10.1016/j.jcf.2020.11.017. View

17.

Chadha P, Katare O, Chhibber S . Liposome loaded phage cocktail: Enhanced therapeutic potential in resolving Klebsiella pneumoniae mediated burn wound infections. Burns. 2017; 43(7):1532-1543. DOI: 10.1016/j.burns.2017.03.029. View

18.

Chang R, Morales S, Okamoto Y, Chan H . Topical application of bacteriophages for treatment of wound infections. Transl Res. 2020; 220:153-166. PMC: 7293950. DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2020.03.010. View

19.

Chang R, Okamoto Y, Morales S, Kutter E, Chan H . Hydrogel formulations containing non-ionic polymers for topical delivery of bacteriophages. Int J Pharm. 2021; 605:120850. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.120850. View

20.

Chang R, Okamoto Y, Morales S, Kutter E, Chan H . Topical liquid formulation of bacteriophages for metered-dose spray delivery. Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2022; 177:1-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2022.05.014. View