(LR-019) Development of multiple "real-world" ex vivo porcine skin biofilm models to assess the efficacy of a range of wound care products
Thursday, May 16, 2024
7:30 PM – 8:30 PM East Coast USA Time
Introduction: Biofilms can cause chronic wound infection, as they can penetrate deep into tissue evading antimicrobial treatments. Ex vivo porcine skin models bridge the gap between in vitro/in vivo, these models are more reflective of real wounds compared to current methods on hard surfaces. Study aim is to utilise ex vivo porcine skin model to develop “real-world” biofilm test methods and assess two wound care products.
Methods: Porcine skin explants were inoculated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, incubated for 7-days at 37°C, to encourage biofilm. (M1) Method 1: mucoid biofilm skin samples were treated using a debridement pad (DP) for two minutes. (M2) Method 2: 10cm x 10cm wound dressing (WD) samples were placed onto mucoid biofilm skin samples and incubated for 24 hours at 37°C. Biopsies were removed from treated/untreated skin, DP and WD. Biopsies were placed into PBS and Quench, for M1/M2, for viable bacteria quantification using plate counts. Biopsies were placed into sterile water inM1/M2, for protein quantification using a BCA Protein Assay kit.
Results: M1: (DP) Significant reduction of viable P. aeruginosa and protein quantity compared to untreated control. M2: (WD) Significant reduction in viable P. aeruginosa and protein quantity from biopsies compared to untreated controls. A significant increase in protein quantity was observed in test dressing samples compared to blank dressings.
Discussion: Results demonstrates that both products reduce P. aeruginosa biofilm and protein quantities within a chronic wound. Future work includes ELISA and RT-qPCR for gene expression and SEM imaging, to support innovative product development.