A Novel Spray-on Dressing is Comparable to Silver Impregnated Foam Dressing in Controlling MRSA Infection and Promoting Healing

Abstract

Abstract Burn injuries disrupt the skin barrier, increasing susceptibility to infection, delaying healing, and can potentially becoming life-threatening. Wound dressings mitigate this risk by protecting the wound from environmental pathogens. This study evaluated a novel antimicrobial spray-on dressing designed to conform to irregular skin surfaces for its ability to control burn wound infection and promote wound healing. Evaluation was conducted in two stages. Experiment 1 used a rat scald model (n=19) inoculated with MRSA to compare the spray-on dressing’s antimicrobial efficacy against silver-impregnated foam and control groups over 8 days. Experiment 2 used a porcine burn model to assess healing kinetics, skin biomechanics (elasticity, hardness), and histoarchitecture (rete ridge ratio, epidermal thickness) through Day 13.In the rat model, the spray-on dressing achieved bacterial control comparable to silver-impregnated foam; both groups demonstrated significantly lower MRSA burden compared to positive controls on Day 5 (p < 0.01), with no evidence of systemic dissemination. In the porcine model, the spray-on dressing supported timely wound closure with re-epithelialization rates comparable to the foam dressing (97.7% vs. 92.1%, p = 0.3). Skin biomechanic measurements, including tissue elasticity and stiffness, were indistinguishable from uninjured skin. Histoarchitecture analysis confirmed that the spray-on dressing facilitated a high-quality dermal-epidermal interface equivalent to the clinical standard. Overall, the novel spray-on dressing is comparable to the standard silver-impregnated foam dressing in both antimicrobial efficacy and tissue regeneration. Its superior conformability and simplified application make it a viable, efficient alternative for managing complex burn wounds in both routine and high-demand clinical settings.