# A PHMB-Functionalized Fully Absorbable Synthetic Matrix as a Novel Alternative to Biologics: Balancing Antibacterial Efficacy, Tissue Repair, and Safety

## TL;DR

A new fully absorbable wound matrix with antibacterial properties promotes healing and maintains effectiveness for months.

## Contribution

A PHMB-functionalized synthetic matrix offers a novel alternative to biologics by balancing antibacterial efficacy, tissue repair, and safety.

## Key findings

- The matrix showed >99.99% reduction in six pathogens after 15 months of aging.
- It accelerated wound healing in porcine models compared to collagen controls by Day 22.
- Localized drug enrichment with minimal systemic exposure was confirmed.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
•A fully absorbable PHMB-functionalized synthetic matrix mimicking extracellular matrix (ECM) architecture enables synchronized biphasic release and degradation, ensuring sustained antibacterial efficacy throughout wound healing while facilitating tissue repair.•AATCC 100 assessments confirmed that the matrix maintains robust broad-spectrum bactericidal potency (log10 reduction values (LRV) > 4.0; >99.99% reduction) against six clinically relevant pathogens after 15 months of real-time aging, demonstrating superior stability for clinical translation.

A fully absorbable PHMB-functionalized synthetic matrix mimicking extracellular matrix (ECM) architecture enables synchronized biphasic release and degradation, ensuring sustained antibacterial efficacy throughout wound healing while facilitating tissue repair.

AATCC 100 assessments confirmed that the matrix maintains robust broad-spectrum bactericidal potency (log10 reduction values (LRV) > 4.0; >99.99% reduction) against six clinically relevant pathogens after 15 months of real-time aging, demonstrating superior stability for clinical translation.

What are the implications of the main findings?
•The PHMB Matrix demonstrates significantly accelerated healing compared to Xenograft AM in porcine full-thickness wound models by Day 22, with improved wound surface quality and histologically confirmed tissue remodeling and biocompatibility.•The PHMB Matrix demonstrates sustained wound-site protection via a localized “enrichment effect” while maintaining a robust systemic safety profile through rapid, biphasic elimination.

The PHMB Matrix demonstrates significantly accelerated healing compared to Xenograft AM in porcine full-thickness wound models by Day 22, with improved wound surface quality and histologically confirmed tissue remodeling and biocompatibility.

The PHMB Matrix demonstrates sustained wound-site protection via a localized “enrichment effect” while maintaining a robust systemic safety profile through rapid, biphasic elimination.

Effective management of acute, complex, and chronic wounds requires constructs that simultaneously support tissue repair and provide sustained infection control. Biologic-derived materials, despite their regenerative potential, are limited by insufficient long-term antibacterial activity and susceptibility to enzymatic degradation. To overcome these limitations, a fully absorbable synthetic matrix composed of electrospun composite fibers functionalized with polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) (hereafter, PHMB Matrix) was developed to mimic extracellular matrix architecture while enabling durable antibacterial performance. Quantitative assessment per AATCC 100 demonstrated robust broad-spectrum efficacy (>99.99% reduction) against six clinically relevant Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens, with potency retained after 15 months of real-time aging. The matrix’s interconnected fibrous architecture enables a controlled, biphasic PHMB release coordinated with biodegradation, sustaining antibacterial protection throughout a 28-day healing period. In porcine full-thickness wound models, the PHMB Matrix achieved 63.53% ± 12.0% wound area reduction by Day 22, demonstrating accelerated mid-phase healing compared to an antibacterial collagen control (p < 0.05 on Day 22), with both treatments achieving comparable near-complete closure by Day 28. Pharmacokinetic analysis confirmed localized drug enrichment with negligible systemic exposure. These findings establish the PHMB-functionalized synthetic matrix as a safe, effective, fully absorbable alternative to biologic-derived materials for soft tissue repair, offering sustained antibacterial efficacy and a favorable safety profile.