Aim: To develop NB-201, a nanoemulsion compound, as a novel microbicidal agent against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, which is a common threat to public health but with limited therapeutic options.
Materials & methods: NB-201 was tested in in vitro and in vivo murine and porcine models infected with MRSA.
Results: Topical treatment of MRSA-infected wounds with NB-201 significantly decreased bacterial load and had no toxic effects on healthy skin tissues. NB-201 attenuated neutrophil sequestration in MRSA-infected wounds and inhibited epidermal and deep dermal inflammation. The levels of proinflammatory cytokines were reduced in NB-201-treated MRSA-infected wounds.
Conclusion: NB-201 can greatly reduce inflammation characteristic of infected wounds and has antimicrobial activity that effectively kills MRSA regardless of the genetic basis of antibiotic resistance.
Keywords: NB-201; antimicrobial; infected wounds; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; nanoemulsion.