The Sociomicrobiology Group published in International Journal of Biological Macromolecules a paper entitled  „Microbial nanocellulose as an effective lactonase immobilization matrix for enhanced wound healing“. 

Chronic wounds are tough to heal since harmful bacteria form protective biofilms and resist antibiotics. Scientists are exploring new ways to tackle this, and one promising strategy involves enzymes that disrupt bacterial communication, like lactonases. In this study, researchers used bacterial nanocellulose,  natural and skin-friendly material, as a platform to hold and stabilize a powerful lactonase enzyme called YtnP. When the enzyme was attached to the nanocellulose using glutaraldehyde, the enzyme stayed stable for months and could be reused multiple times, and sped up wound healing in mice infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common and dangerous wound-infecting bacterium. The enzyme attached to bacterial nanocellulose not only fought infection but also reduced inflammation and helped the skin heal faster. This research points to a possibility of using enzymes such as YtnP as alternative to antibiotics for the treatment of chronic wounds. 

This publication resulted from the project “Advanced functionalized biomaterial for the treatment of chronic wound infections” which was funded within the Technology Transfer Program of the Innovation Fund of the Republic of Serbia. The research was carried out in cooperation with colleagues from the Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", from the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy and the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Belgrade.