Due to their availability and environmental friendliness, alginate polymers are widely used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. The most common type of alginate is derived from seaweed and is used to develop topical dosage forms, among other things. However, variability in the seaweed material can lead to instability in the physicochemical parameters. Biotechnologically produced alginate minimizes this drawback through controlled synthesis. However, unlike algal alginates, the safety profile of such polymers has not been well studied. When developing dosage forms intended for wound surfaces, safety is of primary importance. In this study, we developed enzybiotic compositions based on bacterial alginate as an excipient and a novel recombinant modified endolysin, LysSi3-LK, as an antibacterial agent, and assessed their antibacterial properties and safety profile. The study included an in vitro evaluation of the activity spectrum, as well as the cytotoxicity and biocompatibility, of gel and hydrogel compositions. It was demonstrated that bacterial alginate is acceptable for the encapsulation of endolysin. It exhibited medium cytotoxic effects on the HaCaT cells, which were significantly reduced by the LysSi3-LK addition. The migration of cells was diminished following exposure to the gel and hydrogel formulations. However, an improvement in biocompatibility was observed in the cell proliferation assay.
Klimova et al. (2026) studied this question.