Development of multimodal silver thiocyanate nanoparticles for the treatment of infected wounds in animal model

Abstract

Wound healing, a complex process often impaired by infection and chronic conditions, necessitates innovative therapeutic strategies. To address this, we investigated silver thiocyanate nanoparticles (AgSCN-NPs) as a multimodal agent for infection control and wound care. AgSCN-NPs displayed potent anti-infective properties against gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis) and gram-negative (E. coli) bacteria. Specifically, zone of inhibition assays revealed significantly larger inhibition zones for AgSCN-NPs (21 mm for B. subtilis and 18 mm for E. coli) compared to amoxicillin (10 mm for both strains) at 100 µg/mL. Confocal microscopy showed that AgSCN-NPs effectively disrupted E. coli biofilm formation. In vivo, studies in a rat model demonstrated that AgSCN-NPs (100 µg/mL) accelerated wound closure, with AgSCN-NP treated wounds achieving 98.151 ± 0.87 % closure by day 12, compared to the untreated control group (89.473 ± 4.96 %). Immunohistochemical staining revealed increased expression of CD163 (five-fold increase) and α-SMA (2.7-fold increase) in AgSCN-NP-treated tissues, indicating enhanced anti-inflammatory activity and tissue regeneration. Moreover, infected wound healing studies were performed using E. coli infection demonstrating rapid healing of infected wounds in the AgSCN-NP treatment. These findings suggest that AgSCN-NPs offer a promising multimodal approach to enhance wound healing and combat skin infections associated with wound healing. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.