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Wound Healing by an Anti-Staphylococcal Biofilm Approach

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Biofilm Highlights

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Biofilms ((BIOFILMS,volume 5))

Abstract

In this chapter, we discuss the use of anti-biofilm agents as critical players for achieving healing of chronic wounds. These types of wounds are typically persistent due to the presence of biofilms that become a major barrier toward healing.

RNAIII inhibiting peptide (RIP) is the main anti-biofilm agent described in this chapter. By functional genomics (microarray analysis), RIP was shown in Staphylococcus aureus to downregulate the expression of genes involved in biofilm formation. Such genes participate both in neutralizing acidic pH and enabling survival in an anaerobic environment. RIP was also shown to downregulate the production of multiple toxins, yielding nonpathogenic bacteria.

The implementation of the general use of RIP in managing complex wounds, along with other anti-biofilm strategies, dramatically changed the outcomes for many of the most desperate wounds. The amazing improvement in wound healing trajectory is best explained by the suppression of staphylococcal biofilms.

Hopefully, the evidence gathered will help establish changes in the way clinicians tackle chronic persistent wounds. Instead of amputation, the concept of healing might become a better alternative with the addition of anti-biofilm agents to the existing protocols.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Southwest Regional Wound Care Center, Medical Biofilm Research Institute, 2002 Oxford Ave, Lubbock, TX, 79410, USA

    Randall D. Wolcott

  2. Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, USA

    Florencia Lopez-Leban, Madanahally Divakar Kiran & Naomi Balaban

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering, Yale University, 9 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven, CT, 06520-8286, USA

    Naomi Balaban

Authors
  1. Randall D. Wolcott
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  2. Florencia Lopez-Leban
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  3. Madanahally Divakar Kiran
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  4. Naomi Balaban
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Randall D. Wolcott or Naomi Balaban .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Duisburg-Essen, Faculty of Chemistry, Biofilm Centre, Universitätsstrasse 5, Essen, 45141, Germany

    Hans-Curt Flemming

  2. University of Duisburg-Essen, Faculty of Chemistry, Biofilm Centre, Universitätsstr. 5, Essen, 45141, Germany

    Jost Wingender

  3. , Department of Environmental Microbiology, Berlin Institute of Technology, Franklinstr. 29, Berlin, 10587, Germany

    Ulrich Szewzyk

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Wolcott, R.D., Lopez-Leban, F., Kiran, M.D., Balaban, N. (2011). Wound Healing by an Anti-Staphylococcal Biofilm Approach. In: Flemming, HC., Wingender, J., Szewzyk, U. (eds) Biofilm Highlights. Springer Series on Biofilms, vol 5. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19940-0_7

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