Chronic wounds are a major healthcare challenge around the world. The presence of bacterial biofilms, accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and persistent inflammation have been identified as rate-limiting steps in chronic wound healing. Anti-inflammatory drugs, like naproxen (Npx) and indomethacin (Ind), show poor selectivity for the COX-2 enzyme, which plays a key role in producing inflammatory responses. To address these challenges, we have developed conjugates of Npx and Ind with peptides possessing antibacterial, antibiofilm, and antioxidant properties along with enhanced selectivity for the COX-2 enzyme. We have synthesized and characterized peptide conjugates Npx-YYk, Npx-YYr, Ind-YYk, and Ind-YYr, which were self-assembled into supramolecular gels. As envisaged, the conjugates and gels showed high proteolytic stability and selectivity toward the COX-2 enzyme and potent antibacterial activities (>95% within 12 h) against Gram-positive bacteria , implicated in wound-related infections, eradication of biofilm (∼80%), and radical scavenging (>90%) properties. Cell culture studies with mouse fibroblast cells (L929) and macrophage-like cells (RAW 264.7) showed that gels were cell proliferative in nature (120% viability), which resulted in faster and more efficient scratch healing. Treatment with gels led to a significant decrease in proinflammatory cytokine (TNF-α and IL-6) expressions and an increase in anti-inflammatory gene (IL-10) expression. The gels developed in this work show great promise as a topical agent for chronic wounds or as a coating for medical devices to prevent medical-device-associated infections.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00014DOI Listing

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