Electrospun fibrous mat based on silver (I) metal-organic frameworks-polylactic acid for bacterial killing and antibiotic-free wound dressing

The fabrication of functional wound dressings to control skin bacterial infection is of vital importance. In this work, a silver (I) metal-organic framework Ag2[HBTC][im] (1) and polylactic acid composite fibrous mat (1-PLA) with efficient antimicrobial capability was prepared via an electrospinning process. 1 possesses three-dimensional framework assembled from rod-shaped molecular building blocks which consist of Ag (I) ions, 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate (HBTC) and imidazole (im) ligand. The as-prepared 1-PLA shows unique broad-spectrum antibiosis potency against Escherichia coli (E. coli), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Mycobacterium smegmatis (M. smegmatis). Proteomic investigations enable to gain insight on the antimicrobial mechanism of 1-PLA composite indicating that the dissipation of proton motive force, destroying of energy metabolism, decreasing or losing of transport system may be associated with the antibacterial action. Furthermore, in vivo experiments indicate that the 1-PLA electrospun fibrous mat can significantly accelerate the healing rate of infection wounds in rats. This study demonstrated the electrospun fibrous mat with efficient on-demand antibacterial properties is promising for practical application in anti-infective therapy.