H2O2/acid self-supplying double-layer electrospun nanofibers based on ZnO2 and Fe3O4 nanoparticles for efficient catalytic therapy of wound infection

Abstract

Catalytic therapy based on nanozymes is promising for the treatment of bacterial infections. However, its therapeutic efficacy is usually restricted by the limited amount of hydrogen peroxide and the weak acidic environment in infected tissues. To solve these issues, we prepared polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)–polyacrylic acid (PAA)–iron oxide (Fe₃O₄)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)–zinc peroxide (ZnO₂) double-layer electrospun nanofibers (PPF/PZ NFs). In this design, PVA serves as the carrier for ZnO₂ nanoparticles (NPs), Fe₃O₄ NPs, and PAA. The double-layer structure of nanofibers can spatially separate the PAA and ZnO₂ to avoid their reaction with each other during preparation and storage, while in the wet wound bed, PVA can dissolve and PAA can provide H⁺ ions to promote the generation of hydrogen peroxide and subsequent conversion to hydroxyl radicals for bacteria killing. In vitro experimental results demonstrated that PPF/PZ NFs can reduce the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by 3.1 log (99.92%). Moreover, PPF/PZ NFs can efficiently treat the bacterial infection in a mouse wound model and promote wound healing with negligible toxicity to animals, indicating their potential use as “plug-and-play” antibacterial wound dressings. This work provides a novel strategy for the construction of double-layer electrospun nanofibers as catalytic wound dressings with hydrogen peroxide/acid self-supplying properties for the efficient treatment of bacterial infections.