Development of by-products-based antimicrobial TEXtiles for skin dysbiosis

Textile materials , namely clothing, can be designed to provide not only an additional shield for the body, but also, to improve comfort, and well-being, while delivering specific skincare for the wearer. The close interaction between skin and clothing has become an attractive cornerstone for developing antimicrobial textiles able to alleviate skin disorders, namely those correlated to skin microbiota dysregulation , also called skin dysbiosis . Dysbiosis is the primary condition commonly found in several skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, rosacea, acne, and hidradenitis suppurativa. This condition presents a high incidence worldwide, causing negative effects on the patient’s quality of life and has significant socio-economic impacts. Although conventional treatments, i.e. local/systemic administration of antibiotics, have shown some efficacy in the treatment and alleviation of symptoms, there are still disadvantages that need to be overcome, including i ) its negative impact on the resident microbiota members; ii) the increase of antibiotic-resistance, and iii) the elevated rate of recurrence. Remarkably, the use of antimicrobial textiles with the capacity to induce specific changes in the skin’s microbial communities has emerged as a promising strategy to treat, alleviate the symptoms, and control skin dysbiosis. Incorporating natural antimicrobial agents has gained considerable attention in medical and healthcare textiles due to properties such as being skin and environment-friendly and non-toxic compared to synthetic antimicrobial agents. Among them, extracts f rom by-products obtained from the agri-food sectors are recognized as low-cost sources of bioactive compounds with a wide range of biological activities, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative . In this context, the impregnation of fabrics with such extracts became attractive since they are potentially safe, with no adverse side effects, and powerful antimicrobials. In this perspective, the ambition of DETEX is to develop by-product-based antimicrobial textiles to deliver key bioactive compounds in the human skin, with the ability to target microbiota dysregulation and increase the regenerative response of skin cells. To face such a challenge, the transdisciplinary competence of the DETEX members in (Micro)Biology, Chemistry, Materials Science, Nanotechnology, (Bio)engineering, and Textile, is combined to explore different strategies from conventional to nanoparticle incorporation for the development of textile materials functionalized with specific by-products with proven antimicrobial activity. In that remit, DETEX proposes a consortium between Academy (UCP, INFLPR, UT) and a technological centre supporting the Portuguese clothing and textile industry by promoting Innovation and Development (CITEVE), together with the ambition to develop the next generation of antimicrobial textiles through the valorization of by-products . Furthermore, these collaborations will allow the exchange of knowledge and competencies of excellence that shall benefit all the involved parties. Therefore, to face such a challenge, DETEX intends to: i) incorporate specific extracts of by-products in different fabrics, namely cotton and polyester, through the use of exhaustion and padding, functionalization of nanoparticles with bioextracts and nanocoating of fabrics ( TASK 1 ); ii) evaluate the antimicrobial properties of the prototype textiles before and after domestic washing conditions ( TASK 2 ); iii) explore the release of bioextracts from the prototype textiles mimicking key physiologic conditions of the human skin ( TASK 3 ), and last iv) determine the biocompatibility of the prototype textiles with the most promising results ( TASK 4 ) ( Fig. 1 ). The knowledge provided by DETEX may open new horizons for the development of antimicrobial textiles using natural compounds from agri-food by-products with specific biomedical properties and applications . It is expected that the results generated by the DETEX project can outline the best functionalized textile, in terms of antimicrobial activity, modulation of the skin microbiota members, and biocompatibility. DETEX can be an efficient alternative for patients with skin dysbiosis while decreasing the local/systemic intake of antibiotics, healthcare costs, and the environmental footprint through the reuse of agri-food by-products. Moreover, the successful execution of DETEX may highlight not only the great potential of these new products to translate to clinical trials but also support the broad (international) market of antimicrobial textile materials.