Open Access Conference Proceedings

The increasing prevalence of bacterial resistance poses a significant challenge to contemporary healthcare, representing a serious and potentially life-threatening complication in patients with bacterial infections of diverse origins, severities, and anatomical localizations. Strategies aimed at mitigating resistance and identifying novel substances or mechanisms able to suppress it are essential, particularly in the treatment of infected wounds. One promising strategy is the integration of traditional medicine and phytotherapy, which offers a wide spectrum of natural compounds with bioactive properties, including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, and regenerative effects. The synergistic combination of natural substances with conventional pharmaceuticals may enhance therapeutic efficacy, reduce required dosages, and accelerate healing, thereby minimizing systemic burden and shortening treatment duration. Moreover, certain phytochemicals have demonstrated the ability to modulate bacterial resistance mechanisms, such as efflux pump inhibition. However, the limited miscibility and biocompatibility of solvent systems used for natural compound extraction necessitate the development of optimal carriers that are biocompatible, biodegradable, solvent-stable, and capable of targeted delivery. In this context, micro- and nanomaterial-based carriers offer considerable potential. This study investigates the potential of biodegradable silica nanofibers (SiNFs) as carriers for the natural bioactive compounds carvacrol (CAR) and thymol (THY), as well as their combinations with the conventional antibiotic gentamicin sulphate (GEN). The functionalized carrier was evaluated for antibacterial activity and biocompatibility to murine fibroblasts.

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