Invisible shield: sprayable supramolecular antimicrobial microscale films for preventing wound and medical device infections.

@article{li2026invisible,
  title = {{Invisible shield: sprayable supramolecular antimicrobial microscale films for preventing wound and medical device infections.}},
  author = {Yijie Li and Skander Hathroubi and Ophélie Heck and Lucie Lieu and Lauriane Petit and Xavier Wurtz and Abdessalem Rekiki and Aurore Gaudin and Naomi Canourgues and Derry Mercer and Merve Tunali and Bernd Nowack and Philipp Meier and Giacomo Reina and Peter Wick and Marjan Safarzadeh and Altan Demircan and David Grossin and Christophe Drouet and Thibaut Soubrié and Tetiana Goldanova and Mélanie Kremer and Noémie Willem and Sarah Jester and Aurélia Cès and Cynthia Calligaro and Baptiste Letellier and Agnes Dupret-Bories and Philippe Lavalle and Nihal Engin Vrana},
  journal = {Npj biomedical innovations},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1038/s44385-026-00121-6},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42957761},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Invisible shield: sprayable supramolecular antimicrobial microscale films for preventing wound and medical device infections.
AU  - Yijie Li
AU  - Skander Hathroubi
AU  - Ophélie Heck
AU  - Lucie Lieu
AU  - Lauriane Petit
AU  - Xavier Wurtz
AU  - Abdessalem Rekiki
AU  - Aurore Gaudin
AU  - Naomi Canourgues
AU  - Derry Mercer
AU  - Merve Tunali
AU  - Bernd Nowack
AU  - Philipp Meier
AU  - Giacomo Reina
AU  - Peter Wick
AU  - Marjan Safarzadeh
AU  - Altan Demircan
AU  - David Grossin
AU  - Christophe Drouet
AU  - Thibaut Soubrié
AU  - Tetiana Goldanova
AU  - Mélanie Kremer
AU  - Noémie Willem
AU  - Sarah Jester
AU  - Aurélia Cès
AU  - Cynthia Calligaro
AU  - Baptiste Letellier
AU  - Agnes Dupret-Bories
AU  - Philippe Lavalle
AU  - Nihal Engin Vrana
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/28
JO  - Npj biomedical innovations
DO  - 10.1038/s44385-026-00121-6
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42957761
AB  - Wound and device-associated infections remain difficult to eradicate because biofilms limit host immunity and antibiotic efficacy, promoting chronicity and resistance. Here, we present a portable, low-cost dual-syringe spray that deposits a thin, self-assembling antimicrobial film directly on wounds and implant surfaces. The device co-delivers oppositely charged hyaluronic acid (HA) and polyarginine (PAR30), a cationic antimicrobial peptide, which rapidly assembles into a conformal micrometric polyelectrolyte complex at the tissue-material interface. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed positional heterogeneity within the PAR30/HA complex and identified an N-terminal arginine as a dominant interaction hotspot. The resulting coating adheres to diverse substrates, kills bacteria on contact, prevents biofilm formation, and sustains antimicrobial efficacy. The treatment exhibited broad-spectrum in vitro activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. In murine wound infection models, the spray coating significantly reduced MRSA bacterial burden. The formulation was biocompatible, did not increase cutaneous inflammation or IL6 levels in vivo, and reduced post-surgical pain and motor deficits in a mouse incision model. Developed within a safe-and-sustainable-by-design framework, this technology offers a scalable, antibiotic-free strategy for wound-care and medical-device infection prevention.
SN  - 3005-1444
ER  -