A mussel-inspired hydrogel matrix with photothermal activity and phycocyanin-modified cerium oxide nanoparticles with antioxidant activity for synergistic infected wound healing.
Aug 2026· Journal of materials chemistry. B· Vol 14, pp. 10193-10207· 0 citations
Medicine
TL;DR
A multifunctional composite hydrogel (GelDA/OPL) with excellent adhesion, self-healing properties, injectability, and photothermal antibacterial activity through Schiff base crosslinking between dopamine-modified gelatin (GelDA) and oxidized pullulan (OPL) is constructed.
Abstract
The ability of hydrogels to promote wound healing has been extensively studied. Developing multifunctional hydrogel dressings to address the complex microenvironment of infected wounds remains a significant challenge and focus in current research. Herein, inspired by adhesion chemistry, we constructed a multifunctional composite hydrogel (GelDA/OPL) with excellent adhesion, self-healing properties, injectability, and photothermal antibacterial activity through Schiff base crosslinking between dopamine-modified gelatin (GelDA) and oxidized pullulan (OPL). By varying the concentration of OPL, the mechanical and rheological properties of GelDA/OPL can be appropriately adjusted. Furthermore, by introducing phycocyanin-modified CeO2@PC NPs, we endowed GelDA/OPL with remarkable antioxidant characteristics capable of rapidly scavenging ˙OH, ABTS˙+, and DPPH˙ radicals. The results indicate that the incorporation of catechol groups not only enhanced the adhesive performance of GelDA/OPL/CeO2@PC hydrogels but also imparted exceptional photothermal conversion efficiency under 808 nm laser irradiation, effectively inhibiting Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The applicability of GelDA/OPL/CeO2@PC hydrogels in promoting wound healing in vivo was further validated using a full-thickness skin defect infection model in rats. Overall, the prepared GelDA/OPL/CeO2@PC hydrogel represents a promising multifunctional wound dressing that contributes to accelerating the healing process for infected wounds.
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.
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