ArticleBMC biotechnology2026
α-pinene and β-sitosterol co-loaded alginate/gelatin-functionalized niosomes for enhanced antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae.
Article in BMC biotechnology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Nano-antimicrobial peptides (Nano-AMPs) to combat resistant gram-negative bacteria.Drug delivery and translational research · 2026Review
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Abstract
backgroundThe rise of antibiotic resistance in infectious disease, particularly from carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), poses a significant global health challenge. This study aimed to fabricate and evaluate a novel biocompatible hydrogel scaffold (Nio-PIN/STL@SC) incorporating niosomes loaded with α-pinene (PIN) and β-sitosterol (STL) to enhance antibacterial and anti-biofilm activities against MRSA and CRKP isolates.
methodsNiosomes containing PIN and STL (Nio-PIN/STL) were prepared using the thin-layer hydration method and then incorporated into an alginate/gelatin hydrogel scaffold via a straightforward crosslinking reaction, forming Nio-PIN/STL@SC. The physicochemical properties of the scaffolds were characterized using DLS, SEM, TEM, and FTIR. In vitro assays assessed drug release, swelling, degradation, stability, cytotoxicity, antibacterial efficacy (MIC, disk diffusion, time-kill assay), anti-biofilm activity (CV assay, MBEC), and the expression of biofilm-related genes.
resultsThe optimized Nio-PIN/STL@SC exhibited an average particle size of 263.5 ± 5.2 nm, Polydispersity Index (PDI) of 0.231 ± 0.011, and entrapment efficiencies (EE%) of 78.2 ± 1.18% (PIN) and 79.7 ± 1.35% (STL). The scaffold demonstrated a sustained biphasic release profile, with only 40.85% of PIN and 43.25% of STL released over 72 h at pH 7.4. Nio-PIN/STL@SC showed markedly enhanced antibacterial activity, with MIC values of 0.97-1.95 µg/mL against MRSA and 0.97-3.9 µg/mL against CRKP, representing at least a 16-fold reduction compared to free drugs. MBEC values revealed a significant reduction in biofilm biomass, decreasing viable MRSA and CRKP cells to approximately 2.0 and 3.5 log10 CFU/mL, respectively. qRT-PCR analysis demonstrated significant downregulation of icaA and icaD in MRSA and mrkA, mrkD, and fimA in CRKP (P < 0.001), alongside upregulation of the biofilm repressor gene icaR.
conclusionsThe developed Nio-PIN/STL@SC hydrogel scaffold demonstrates a promising drug delivery system for the synergistic enhancement of antibacterial and anti-biofilm activities against multidrug-resistant pathogens like MRSA and CRKP with reduced cytotoxic effects, suggesting its potential for treating bacterial infections. Further in vivo studies are warranted to validate these findings. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.
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