Villa-Martinez, G. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2025

Fluoxetine Delivery for Wound Treatment Through an Integrated Bioelectronic Device - Pharmacokinetic Parameters and Safety Profile in Swine

Wound infections are a significant medical challenge, often leading to chronicity or systemic infection. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have emerged as potential non-antibiotic candidates with demonstrated ability to limit growth and biofilm formation in Gram-negative bacteria, in addition to their pro-healing activity. Here, we compared direct delivery of the SSRI fluoxetine by topical bolus dosing to delivery from an iontophoresis bandage device with an actuator for temporally controlled drug delivery, in a porcine excisional wound model. Device delivery of fluoxetine resulted in a maximum concentration of 12.25 ng fluoxetine per mg tissue, compared to 2.926 ng/mg following bolus dosing, and tissue fluoxetine levels were higher after application using the device than after bolus dosing across the range of doses tested (p=0.0041). The half-life of fluoxetine in the wound tissue was 0.988 {+/-} 0.256 days. Fluoxetine was not detected in the pig plasma, and plasma serotonin levels were not affected by the topical application. Fluoxetine delivery using the device, but not bolus delivery, produced tissue concentrations above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for some clinically important species of bacteria. The experimental device can effectively deliver topical fluoxetine to the wound, producing higher tissue concentrations of fluoxetine at lower cumulative doses compared to bolus dosing, and with minimal risk of off-target effects. The device may simplify wound treatment by reducing the burden for daily drug application, possibly increasing adherence to a prescribed treatment regimen.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2024

Design and Validation of a Wearable Imaging System for Automated Wound Monitoring in Porcine Model

Effective wound monitoring has the potential to guide treatment regiments and improve healing outcomes, yet current clinical assessment methods remain largely subjective and labor-intensive. To address this challenge, we present a high-resolution wearable imaging system designed for continuous wound monitoring. The system integrates a 64 MP camera with a plano-convex lens housed in an enclosure measuring 73 mm in diameter and 36.1 mm in height, and features a custom printed circuit board (PCB) for programmable LED illumination. The 3D-printed device enclosure is designed to accommodate a silicone bioelectronic device and can be securely attached using a commercially available ostomy skin barrier. In porcine model validation studies, the system successfully captured daily wound progression over periods up to 7 days. The captured images were wirelessly transmitted to a processing unit where DeepMapper, a machine learning algorithm, processed z-stacked images and performed multi-level feature extraction to predict wound healing stages and indicate potential complications such as infection. This imaging system enables automated analysis of wound progression and supports the development of smart wound care platforms for personalized treatment strategies. The integrated design approach demonstrates the feasibility of creating compact, high-resolution imaging systems suitable for clinical wound monitoring applications.

bioengineering↗