Ångstrom-scale silver particle–embedded carbomer gel promotes wound healing by inhibiting bacterial colonization and inflammation

Poor wound healing after diabetes or extensive burn remains a challenging problem. Recently, we presented a physical approach to fabricate ultrasmall silver particles from Angstrom scale to nanoscale and determined the antitumor efficacy of Angstrom-scale silver particles (AgAPs) in the smallest size range. Here we used the medium-sized AgAPs (65.9 ± 31.6 A) to prepare carbomer gel incorporated with these larger AgAPs (L-AgAPs-gel) and demonstrated the potent broad-spectrum antibacterial activity of L-AgAPs-gel without obvious toxicity on wound healing–related cells. Induction of reactive oxygen species contributed to L-AgAPs-gel–induced bacterial death. Topical application of L-AgAPs-gel to mouse skin triggered much stronger effects than the commercial silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)–gel to prevent bacterial colonization, reduce inflammation, and accelerate diabetic and burn wound healing. L-AgAPs were distributed locally in skin without inducing systemic toxicities. This study suggests that L-AgAPs-gel represents an effective and safe antibacterial and anti-inflammatory material for wound therapy.