Plasma-activated water efficacy in the management of experimental wounds infected with Staphylococcus aureus in mice

Evaluation of the antimicrobial and regenerative effect of plasma-activated water (PAW) on a murine model of skin wounds infected with Staphylococcus aureus in CD1 mice. Wound healing is a complex and dynamic process that can be affected by various factors including infection. PAW emerged as a promising antimicrobial agent and studies are necessary to evaluate its in vivo efficacy. Eighteen female CD1 mice were divided into two groups: infected with MRSA ATCC 43300 and treated with saline solution (control), infected and treated with plasma-activated water (PAW). An 8 mm skin wound model with anti-contraction silicone rings was created. A volume of 50 μL inoculum containing 10⁷ CFU MRSA was used to infect the wounds. At day 7, 12 and 25 post-infection, immunohistochemical analysis of collagen types 1, 3, 4, cytokeratin 10, and VEGF along with bacterial load evaluation of each wound were performed. The bacterial burden (CFU/wound) decreased rapidly in PAW group comparing to control group: 2.01 × 10⁵ vs. 1.58 × 10⁵ (day 7), 0.07 × 10³ vs. 5.6 × 10³ (day 12),