Construction of multifunctional gauze via the potassium permanganate method for wound management

Traditional medical gauze can only partially isolate bacteria and cannot effectively address the persistent problem of antibiotic resistance. In this study, persistent antibacterial gauze modified with zinc oxide and manganese oxide (MG@ZnO) was developed for antibacterial treatment and the promotion of wound healing via the inhibition of bacterial invasion, disruption of bacterial protein metabolic processes, and stimulation of the host immune response. Notably, MG@ZnO was fabricated via simple potassium permanganate oxidation followed by wet chemical processing, resulting in excellent physical stability and significant clinical translational potential. Moreover, MG@ZnO exerts bactericidal effects through a variety of antibacterial mechanisms, including physical, Zn 2+ , and peroxidase pathways, thereby circumventing the issue of bacterial resistance. In vitro antibacterial experiments demonstrated that MG@ZnO can effectively eliminate both Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ( MRSA ). Notably, a concentration of only 100 μg/mL was sufficient to achieve complete bactericidal activity against both strains (1 × 10 6 colony-forming units/mL). The RNA-sequencing findings of MRSA indicate that ZnO disrupts the bacterial ribosome, thereby impacting the metabolic processes of bacterial peptides and proteins. Furthermore, ZnO has the capacity to prevent MRSA infiltration of epithelial cells by dismantling fibrinogen-binding proteins A and B (FnBPA and FnBPB) located on the surface of MRSA . Animal experiments have demonstrated that MG@ZnO has the ability to eliminate MRSA by stimulating the host immune response and facilitating the recovery of infected bacterial wounds. Red blood cell hemolysis, cell toxicity, and routine blood and blood biochemistry results revealed that ZnO and MG@ZnO have good biocompatibility. This low-cost, versatile and flexible synthesis process can be used to manufacture a variety of functional gauzes, making it useful in a variety of medical applications.