Janus CMC-based hydrogel with multifunctional synergy for hemostasis and wound healing.

Abstract

Timely hemostasis, bacterial inhibition, and accelerated tissue regeneration are core demands for clinical wound care. However, integrating robust wet adhesion and surface antifouling performance simultaneously remains a key bottleneck limiting conventional wound dressings. Herein, a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-based drug-loaded hydrogel (DLCH) co-embedded with polyhexamethylene biguanide-loaded zeolite (PHMB@Zeo) and gelatin-dopamine-stabilized silver nanoparticles (Gel-DA-AgNPs) was rationally developed as the bottom functional therapeutic layer. Further, an asymmetric Janus drug-loaded hydrogel (JDLH) was fabricated by modifying DLCH surface with a hydrophobic HMDSO-TiO₂ antifouling coating. As the functional core, DLCH exhibits 45 kPa wet adhesion, 1353% stretchability, and sustained PHMB release over 240 h, achieving > 99% antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. Benefiting from DLCH's intrinsic superior properties, the resulting JDLH achieves rapid hemostasis at 41.33 ± 7.97 s and 46.33 ± 9.79 s in rat liver and heart non-compressible hemorrhage models, respectively. In vivo assays verify that JDLH accelerates full-thickness skin wound repair, reaching a 99.5% closure ratio on day 15 with boosted collagen deposition and angiogenesis. This work presents a portable Janus dressing with asymmetric adhesion, offering a practical advance for polysaccharide-based wound dressings and a promising candidate for emergency trauma and clinical wound care.