High-Cholesterol Usnic Acid-Loaded Liposomes for Infected Chronic Wounds: Development and Characterization

Ana Colette Maurício – Full Professor, Veterinary Clinics Department, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar of the University of Porto (ICBAS-U.Porto); Ana Clotilde Fonseca – Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Centre for Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Processes (CEMMPRE), University of Coimbra; Ana Cláudia Paiva-Santos – Associate Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra; Nicholas A. Peppas – Full Professor, Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin

Introduction:

Chronic wounds are a growing clinical challenge, imposing significant physical, emotional, and economic burdens. Infection is a common complication that can lead to biofilm formation, limiting the efficacy of conventional therapies (1). Novel strategies that target biofilms and promote skin regeneration are needed. Usnic acid (UA) is a natural compound with antimicrobial, antibiofilm, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, but poor water solubility (2). High-cholesterol liposomes offer a promising strategy for improving UA solubility, while increasing bacterial membrane and biofilm affinity and enabling targeted and controlled delivery for chronic wound treatment (3,4).