Currently available topical antibiotic formulations effectively eliminate bacteria at a wound site. Eliminating bacteria in the wound also eliminates the molecular signals present in bacterial DNA that stimulate the immune system's wound healing processes. Without these signals, the rate of wound healing is diminished.
The present technology provides a means of improving the activity of topical antibiotics by supplementing the antibiotic formulation with immunostimulatory oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN). These ODN express the CpG motifs present in bacterial DNA and safely mimic the immune stimulation induced by bacterial DNA. The formulation may be applied directly to a wide variety of wounds to skin (such as traumatic, burn, or surgical wound, or the eyes (such as corneal abrasions) to effectively eliminate infection and stimulate rapid healing of the wound.