Antimicrobial blue light-bathing therapy for wound infection control

Hui, J.; Moon, W.; Dong, P.-T.; dos Anjos, C.; Negri, L.; Yan, H.; Wang, Y.; Tam, J.; Dai, T.; Anderson, R. R.; Goverman, J.; Gelfand, J.; Yun, S.-H.

doi:10.1101/2024.04.13.589323

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2024.04.13.589323

Antimicrobial blue light-bathing therapy for wound infection control

Hui, J.·Moon, W.·Dong, P.-T.·dos Anjos, C.·Negri, L.·Yan, H.·Wang, Y.·Tam, J.·Dai, T.·Anderson, R. R.·Goverman, J.·Gelfand, J.·Yun, S.-H.

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Abstract

The prevalence of antibiotic resistance and tolerance in wound infection management poses a serious and growing health threat, necessitating the exploration of alternative approaches. Antimicrobial blue light therapy offers an appealing, non-pharmacological solution. However, its practical application has been hindered by the requirement for high irradiance levels, which particularly raises safety concerns. Here, we introduce a light-bathing strategy that employs prolonged, continuous exposure to blue light at an irradiance range lower by more than an order of magnitude (5 mW/cm2). This method consistently applies bacteriostatic pressure, keeping wound bioburden low, all while minimizing photothermal risks. Leveraging tailor-made, wearable light-emitting patches, we conducted preclinical trials on rat models of wound infection, demonstrating its safety and efficacy for suppressing infections induced by methicillin- resistant S. aureus and multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa. Our results pave a new way for the application of blue light therapy in wound care.

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Hui, J., Moon, W., Dong, P.-T., dos Anjos, C., Negri, L., Yan, H., Wang, Y., Tam, J., Dai, T., Anderson, R. R., Goverman, J., Gelfand, J., Yun, S.-H.. 2024-04-16. Antimicrobial blue light-bathing therapy for wound infection control. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.13.589323

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