A topical antibacterial ointment made of Zn-doped copper oxide nanocomposite

A zinc-doped copper oxide nanocomposite (Zn–CuO NC, Cu_0.89Zn_0.11O)-based antibacterial ointment was formulated and validated. Morphological examinations yielded spherical nanoparticles varying in size from 3 to 5 nm. The antibiofilm efficacy of the Zn–CuO NC-based ointment was evaluated using a biofilm prevention and disruption model against common wound pathogens, both gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228 (S. aureus and S. epidermidis) and gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 (P. aeruginosa). Ointments comprising Zn–CuO NC with different weight percentages demonstrated high antibiofilm activity both in prevention and disruption biofilm models. The highest antibiofilm activity was found against S. epidermidis and S. aureus compared to P. aeruginosa. Zn–CuO NC-based ointment was competing equally with commercial gentamicin ointment for preventing the biofilms of S. epidermidis and S. aureus. Furthermore, interestingly we observed that our formulated ointment demonstrates better biofilm disruption capabilities against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus compared to commercial gentamicin ointment. These results suggest that Zn–CuO NC-based topical antibacterial ointments may provide a valuable solution for treating wound infections.