Antibacterial, Fatigue-Resistant, and Self-Healing Dressing from Natural-Based Composite Hydrogels for Infected Wound Healing
Ming Yan, Shiyu Hu, Zhiguo Wang, Rui Hong, Peng Xu, Maja Kuzmanović, Min Yang, Rui Dai, Yanqiong Wang, Juxiang Gou, Ka Li, Jia‐Zhuang Xu, Zhong‐Ming Li
Abstract
The treatment of infected wounds faces substantial challenges due to the high incidence and serious infection-related complications. Natural-based hydrogel dressings with favorable antibacterial properties and strong applicability are urgently needed. Herein, we developed a composite hydrogel by constructing multiple networks and loading ciprofloxacin for infected wound healing. The hydrogel was synthesized via a Schiff base reaction between carboxymethyl chitosan and oxidized sodium alginate, followed by the polymerization of the acrylamide monomer. The resultant hydrogel dressing possessed a good self-healing ability, considerable compression strength, and reliable compression fatigue resistance. In vitro assessment showed that the composite hydrogel effectively eliminated bacteria and exhibited an excellent biocompatibility. In a model of Staphylococcus aureus -infected full-thickness wounds, wound healing was significantly accelerated without scars through the composite hydrogel by reducing wound inflammation. Overall, this study opens up a new way for developing multifunctional hydrogel wound dressings to treat wound infections.