Local Sustained Delivery of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 for Production of Antimicrobial Peptides.
Jiang. Jiang J; Chen. Guojun G; Shuler. Franklin D FD; Wang. Chi-Hwa CH; Xie. Jingwei J
Key Findings
- Electrospun PLA and PCL fibers can release 25‑hydroxyvitamin D3 continuously for more than four weeks.
- Plasma‑treated PCL fibers loaded with vitamin D3 trigger human keratinocytes and monocytes to produce far higher levels of LL‑37 than an equivalent free‑drug dose.
- The LL‑37 generated from these fibers effectively kills Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro without causing cytotoxicity.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers interested in wound care or infection prevention, this suggests that a sustained‑release vitamin D3 patch or dressing could boost the body’s own antimicrobial peptide (LL‑37) more efficiently than taking a pill. While the study used specialized lab‑made fibers, the concept points toward developing topical vitamin D3 formulations for faster healing and infection control.
Summary
Researchers made tiny fiber mats that slowly release a form of vitamin D (25‑hydroxyvitamin D3). When these mats were placed near human skin cells and immune cells, the cells made a lot more of the natural antibiotic peptide LL‑37 than when the same amount of vitamin D was given as a regular dose. The extra LL‑37 was enough to kill harmful bacteria, and the fibers didn’t harm the cells.
Abstract
This study seeks to develop fiber membranes for local sustained delivery of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 to induce the expression and secretion of LL-37 at or near the surgical site, which provides a novel therapeutic approach to minimize the risk of infections. 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 loaded poly(L-lactide) (PLA) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) fibers were produced by electrospinning. The morphology of obtained fibers was characterized using atomic force microscope (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 releasing kinetics were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The expression of cathelicidin (hCAP 18) and LL-37 was analyzed by immunofluorescence staining and ELISA kit. The antibacterial activity test was conducted by incubating pseudomonas aeruginosa in a monocytes' lysis solution. AFM images suggest that the surface of PCL fibers is smooth, however, the surface of PLA fibers is relatively rough, in particular, after encapsulation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. The duration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 release can last more than 4 weeks for all the tested samples. Plasma treatment can promote the release rate of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. Human keratinocytes and monocytes express significantly higher levels of hCAP18/LL-37 after incubation with plasma treated and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 loaded PCL fibers than the cells incubated with around ten times amount of free drug. After incubation with this fiber formulation for 5 days LL-37 in the lysis solutions of U937 cells can effectively kill the bacteria. Plasma treated and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 loaded PCL fibers induce significantly higher levels of antimicrobial peptide production in human keratinocytes and monocytes without producing cytotoxicity.
Study Information
pubmed
2015
2015-03-14T00:00:00.000Z
10.1007/s11095-015-1667-5
24
53