Screening of Short-Chain Peptide RKIIIRW and Its Use as a Hydrogel for Wound Healing and Bacterial Infection Treatment

Microbial resistance has gradually emerged as a significant challenge in global health care, mainly due to the overuse of antimicrobials. In the face of this challenge, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as a potential therapeutic agent due to their excellent antimicrobial activity. In this work, Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli) and Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus) were selected as bacterial models. The membrane chromatographic stationary phase was prepared by extracting the membranes of E. coli and S. aureus and fixing them on the silica microspheres. According to the principle of electrostatic adsorption of bacteria by AMPs to kill bacteria, we designed and developed a series of short-chain AMPs. Then, we investigated the cationic AMP RKIIIRW, which effectively killed E. coli and S. aureus, using cell membrane chromatography combined with high-performance liquid chromatography. We prepared a kind of antibacterial peptide hydrogel with sodium alginate/hyaluronic acid to treat bacterial infections and promote wound healing. The prepared antibacterial hydrogel inhibits bacterial infection in the damaged skin by slowly releasing the antibacterial peptide RKIIIRW while promoting the growth of skin tissue cells and accelerating wound healing. In summary, we have successfully screened AMPs using membrane chromatography and developed a hydrogel treatment system that can inhibit bacterial infection and promote skin wound healing.