Jul 2026· ACS Applied Bio Materials· 0 citations· 71 references
Medicine
TL;DR
Stable hydrogel formation with favorable porous architecture, swelling behavior, thermal stability, and homogeneous distribution of nanovesicles was well established and exhibited excellent biocompatibility, hemocompatibility, and enhanced cell-material interactions.
Abstract
Advanced wound dressings that modulate the wound microenvironment, enable sustained therapeutic delivery, and limit pathological scarring remain an ongoing challenge in regenerative medicine. A multifunctional nanocomposite hydrogel was prepared using iota and lambda carrageenan followed by ionic crosslinking with CaCl2. This hydrogel was further functionalized with hyaluronic acid grafted with l-arginine (HA-Arg) for enhanced cellular response. Niosomes packed with asiaticoside were additionally incorporated into the hydrogel to provide therapeutic biochemical signaling at the nanoscale. The niosomes formed showed nanometric size (±160 nm), low polydispersity (0.30 ± 0.04), stable negative surface charge, high encapsulation efficiency (up to 82%), and sustained release of loaded drugs for 72 h. As determined by various structural and physicochemical characterizations, stable hydrogel formation with favorable porous architecture, swelling behavior, thermal stability, and homogeneous distribution of nanovesicles was well established. The hydrogel, which was studied in vitro, exhibited excellent biocompatibility, hemocompatibility, and enhanced cell-material interactions. The in vivo niosome-loaded formulation shows about 80% closure of wounds on day 14 compared with 70% in controls. Histopathological analysis revealed a trend toward less inflammation, more blood vessels, more fibroblasts, and better organization of collagen formation, indicating the potential for advanced wound care products.
Given the urgent need to regulate oxidative stress microenvironments in chronic wound healing, hydrogel dressings that simultaneously integrate antioxidant, antibacterial, mechanically adaptive, and biocompatible properties are highly desirable. In this study, a natural polymer-based composite hydrogel dressing loaded with zinc-quercetin nanozyme (Zn-Q) was designed. The gel skeleton was constructed via a dual network of photocrosslinked methacrylated silk fibroin (SilMA) and mercaptolated hyaluronic acid (HA-SH) via thiol-ene click chemistry, with the catalase (CAT)-like Zn-Q nanozyme encapsulated in situ within the network, thereby achieving synergy between chemical crosslinking and dynamic metal-polyphenol coordination. Systematic characterization revealed that Zn-Q nanozyme adopted a stable octahedral coordination configuration, and its continuous porous structure exposed abundant catalytically active sites. The composite hydrogels exhibited a highly interconnected, three-dimensional (3D) porous morphology, with swelling ratios that increased significantly with Zn-Q nanozyme content (up to around 1082%). Rheological and mechanical tests demonstrated that although incorporating the nanozyme reduced the storage modulus, the reversible physical crosslinks formed via hydrogen bonding and coordination interactions endowed the material with excellent tensile toughness and energy-dissipation capacity, exhibiting typical Mullins softening behavior. Functional evaluation showed that Zn-Q nanozyme conferred superior free radical scavenging capability to the hydrogels and exerted dose-dependent inhibition against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Furthermore, the hydrogels exhibited favorable adhesion to various wet organs and heterogeneous material surfaces, with hemolysis rates below 5% and cell viability exceeding 100% after 3 days of culturing with fibroblasts, confirming their excellent hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility. This study provides an experimental basis for developing a new type of wound repair materials that integrate antioxidant, anti-infective, and mechanically adaptive properties, holding significant application potential in oxidative stress-related tissue repair fields.
Lei Nie, Xinran Li, Ru-Qiang Gong et al.· Gels· 0 citations
Findings suggest that the synthesized hydrogel (BSG‐CHI) provides a favorable microenvironment for tissue regeneration and wound management applications.
Durgesh Kumar, Suhela Tyeb, Baby Shruit Shukla et al.· MedComm – Biomaterials and A...· 0 citations
Impaired healing of chronic wounds typically stems from persistent oxidative stress, bacterial infection, and cellular dysfunction. Designing a multifunctional hydrogel dressing capable of adhesion, antioxidant activity, antibacterial ability, and cytocompatibility has demonstrated potential in wound healing applications. In this study, HTP composite hydrogels were fabricated based on thiolated chitosan (TCS) and methacrylated hyaluronic acid (HAMA) by incorporating polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) and gelatin via the synergistic crosslinking of thiol-Michael addition and free-radical photopolymerization. Comprehensive characterization revealed that the hydrogel possessed an interconnected porous microstructure, appropriate swelling properties, and controllable degradation profiles, accompanied by pronounced shear-thinning behavior and tissue-adhesive capabilities. The obtained hydrogels demonstrated significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Furthermore, the HTP hydrogels exhibited remarkable antioxidant capacity, scavenging DPPH and ABTS radicals. Additionally, the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging ability was validated using NIH-3 T3 cells. Hemolysis assays and cytocompatibility evaluations confirmed the favorable hemocompatibility of the HTP hydrogels, which significantly promoted fibroblast proliferation and migration, indicating their substantial potential for wound healing applications.
Lei Nie, Xinran Li, Mengfei Feng et al.· International Journal of Bio...· 0 citations
Regeneration of impaired tissues requires advanced biomaterials that integrate mechanical integrity with antioxidant functionality and biocompatibility. In this study, we fabricated a bioactive κ-carrageenan–egg albumin (KC–EA) hydrogel incorporating a curcumin–Aloe vera (CUR–ALV) composite via ionotropic gelation. Incorporation of the CUR–ALV composite enhanced both structural and functional properties of the hydrogel, as characterized through mechanical testing, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and swelling analyses. The composite-loaded hydrogel exhibited enhanced mechanical performance relative to the KC–EA hydrogel, while SEM analysis revealed increased surface roughness and heterogeneous microdomains suggesting successful composite incorporation. The hydrogel exhibited pH-responsive curcumin release, reaching a maximum cumulative release of approximately 80% at pH 8.5, with kinetic modeling suggesting erosion-influenced release under alkaline conditions. The system demonstrated high hydrophilicity and controlled biodegradation under physiological conditions. Antioxidant assessment by the DPPH assay showed substantially enhanced radical scavenging activity (~ 67%), likely reflecting the synergistic contribution of curcumin and Aloe vera constituents. In vitro cytocompatibility assessed by the MTT assay suggested high cell viability comparable to tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) over seven days, suggesting cytocompatibility and sustained cellular proliferation. Overall, these findings suggest that CUR–ALV-loaded KC–EA hydrogels represent a promising pH-responsive, antioxidant-active system for drug delivery and tissue engineering applications.
K. Likhith, Tarun Mateti, Goutam Thakur et al.· Journal of Polymers and the...· 0 citations
A multifunctional hydrogel patch developed by chemically modifying chitosan with N-acetylsulfonyl chloride and forming a cross-linked network with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) represents a promising multifunctional dressing for the effective management of infected wounds.
Insha Kakroo, Nayeema Gull, Insha Mehraj et al.· ACS Applied Bio Materials· 0 citations
Chronic diabetic wounds remain a major clinical challenge owing to persistent bacterial infection, prolonged inflammation, excessive exudation, and impaired tissue regeneration. Herein, an injectable thermosensitive hydrogel was developed by integrating N-[(2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium)propyl] chitosan chloride with aldehyde-functionalized Pluronic F127 for epidermal growth factor (EGF) delivery and diabetic wound repair. The hydrogel forms a dual-crosslinked network through temperature-induced micellization and dynamic Schiff base bonding, exhibiting rapid gelation under physiological conditions, shear-thinning behavior, and self-healing properties. In vitro, the hydrogel provides a sustained release profile of EGF exhibiting effective antibacterial activity against Gram-positive S. aureus. In vivo studies in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats demonstrate significantly accelerated wound healing, achieving 83% wound closure within 14 days compared to 45% in the control group, along with enhanced tissue regeneration characteristics, including improved collagen deposition. This multifunctional hydrogel provides a promising strategy for diabetic wound management by integrating antibacterial potential and tissue regeneration.