Jun 2026· International Journal of Biological Macromolecules· Vol 378, pp.
153229
· 0 citations· 61 references
Medicine
TL;DR
A multifunctional hydrogel fabricated from carboxymethyl chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol, and sodium alginate via a freeze-thaw cycle method exhibits considerable promise as a therapeutic material for accelerating wound healing.
Abstract
Hydrogels, due to their excellent properties, were widely noted and held great potential for application in wound healing. However, conventional wound dressings are limited by insufficient antioxidant and antibacterial properties, which restricted their effectiveness in treating infected wounds. In this study, a multifunctional hydrogel (PCS/Cur@Fe&TA) was fabricated from carboxymethyl chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol, and sodium alginate via a freeze-thaw cycle method to evaluate its potential as a wound dressing. The hydrogel incorporated nanocomplex composed of curcumin, tannic acid, and Fe3+, which endowed the material with enhanced antioxidant and antibacterial properties. The resulting hydrogel exhibited excellent swelling capacity (400-800%) and water holding capacity (>62%), and a good degradation rate, enabling it to maintain a moist microenvironment conducive to wound healing. Moreover, after hydrogel treatment, the cell viability remained >80%, >99% hemocompatibility (hemolysis rate < 1%), and significantly enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities (P < 0.05). The hydrogel showed marked antibacterial activity, with inhibition zones of 1.03 cm against E. coli and 0.61 cm against S. aureus. Overall, the developed hydrogel exhibits considerable promise as a therapeutic material for accelerating wound healing.
Conventional wound dressings often fail to conform adequately to irregular wound beds, thereby limiting their therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, the development of multifunctional dressings with self-adaptive capabilities is crucial for improving the quality of wound healing. Herein, we developed a spray-crosslinking strategy to construct a multifunctional hydrogel dressing by compounding natural polymers‑sodium alginate (Alg), quaternized chitosan (QAC), and gallic acid (GA). Through a dual-nozzle spray system, the dressing was formed via in situ and rapid crosslinking with zinc ions (Zn2+). This process was accomplished within 10 s, achieving excellent self-adaptive conformity to the wound contours. Benefiting from the combined effect of electrostatic interactions and Schiff base crosslinking, the hydrogel exhibited significantly improved mechanical strength and structural stability compared to pure zinc alginate hydrogel. Functionally, the synergistic effect of QAC and Alg-Zn endowed the dressing with broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, with maximum inhibition zones of 6 mm, 8 mm, and 2 mm against E. coli, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa, respectively. Additionally, the incorporation of GA provided superior reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capabilities. In a murine full-thickness skin defect model, the dressing significantly accelerated wound healing, with a closure rate reaching 98.15% by day 15, and promoted collagen deposition and tissue regeneration. In summary, the self-adaptive sprayable hydrogel dressing developed in this work integrates rapid molding, broad-spectrum antibacterial, antioxidant, and healing-promoting functions, offering a promising new strategy for the effective treatment of complex clinical wounds.
Jinyu Shan, Xinru Wang, Jie Zhang et al.· International Journal of Bio...· 0 citations
Diabetic chronic wounds are difficult to heal because of persistent infection, oxidative stress, inflammation, and hyperglycemia. Herein, a bilayer multifunctional dressing (GCP/GAEu@H) was developed for wound monitoring and diabetic wound repair. The lower layer comprised a glucose- and pH-responsive self-healing hydrogel formed from phenylboronic acid-modified chitosan (CS-PBA) and oxidized hyaluronic acid (OHA) through dynamic boronate ester and Schiff base linkages. The upper layer was a glutaraldehyde-crosslinked chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) (CS/PVA) electrospun nanofibrous membrane. This bilayer configuration increased the tensile strength to 278.94 kPa, provided strong resistance to compressive fatigue, and preserved structural integrity over 50 compression cycles at 60% strain. The incorporated GA-loaded Eu-MOF (GAEu) clusters supplied pH-sensitive fluorescence for real-time assessment of wound status and enabled acid-responsive release of active species. Antibacterial efficiencies against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) exceeded 99%, and 70% of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals were scavenged within 30 min. In addition, it displayed good hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility. Animal experiments revealed enhanced collagen deposition and angiogenesis, together with 98.8% wound closure by day 12. These findings offer an alternative route for designing intelligent dressings for diabetic wounds.
Jingyi Shi, Zijin Yan, Weizhong Yuan et al.· International Journal of Bio...· 0 citations
Hydrogel‐based dressings are widely used in wound healing. Herein, we report a polyacrylic acid (PAA)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite hydrogel fabricated via self‐catalyzed free radical polymerization, with borax serving as the reinforcing phase. Meanwhile, metal‐ligand coordination bonding between tannic acid (TA) and Fe3+ further elevates the crosslinking density of the hydrogel network. Magnetic chitosan microspheres (MCMs) were synthesized by emulsion cross‐linking and loaded with two antibacterial agents, namely tetracycline hydrochloride (TH) and berberine hydrochloride (Bbh). The incorporation of MCMs into the hydrogel matrix resulted in the development of a multifunctional composite hydrogel suitable for wound dressing applications. Results demonstrated that the composite hydrogel containing a specific concentration of 4‰ (w/v) borax and 20 mg/mL MCMs exhibited superior performance, including enhanced mechanical strength, improved responsiveness, sustained drug release, and potent antibacterial efficacy. The core novelty of this work lies in the synergistic integration of borax‐based mechanical reinforcement, MCM‐mediated dual drug loading and sustained release, and the self‐catalyzed polymerization system. This innovative structural and functional collaboration effectively optimizes the mechanical stability of the hydrogel dressing and achieves synergistic antibacterial and intelligent responsive therapeutic performances, providing a reliable and high‐efficiency candidate for advanced wound care and next‐generation wound dressing applications.
Lin-Han Hu, Zheng Yang, Xinwei Tao et al.· Macromolecular Bioscience· 0 citations
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.
Rizos Evangelos Bikiaris, Ioanna Koumentakou, A. Niti et al.· ACS Applied Bio Materials· 0 citations
TFe@SC hydrogel possesses some properties of antimicrobial dressings, such as high biosafety, adhesion to bacteria, and inhibition of bacterial proliferation with photothermal therapy (PTT).
Chenhui Ji, Zhongzhong Lu, Pengfei Chen et al.· International Journal of Bio...· 0 citations
Wound healing is a complicated biological process primarily involving tissue regeneration and repair. However, conditions such as infection, poor blood circulation, or long-term illnesses/chronic diseases (like diabetes) can impede the healing process and cause delayed recovery. In order to address these challenges, authors developed wafers. The prepared wafers have emerged as a promising solution due to their ease of application, excellent biocompatibility, and ability to maintain a moist wound environment. These porous, sponge-like systems can also be loaded with bioactive agents, enabling sustained and controlled drug delivery. The wafer was fabricated using solvent casting method with polymeric mixture of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), ethyl cellulose (EC), and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP K-30) and loaded with curcumin to promote wound healing. The loaded curcumin was dispersed using a high-speed homogeniser and lyophilized in a controlled environment. The developed wafer formulation was further characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry–differential thermal analysis (TG–DTA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), tensile strength analysis, swelling index, and water vapour transmission rate. The in vitro drug release study was carried out mimicking USP 5 paddle-over-disc type dissolution apparatus and the results indicated that the created wafers have a sustained drug release while keeping the tissue moist. The anti-microbial potential of wafers was confirmed using the disc diffusion method. The developed wafer showed strong potential as an antibacterial wound dressing, providing controlled drug release along with fast-acting relief from bacterial infections.
S. Chowdhury, Syed Mahmood, M. A. Mirza et al.· Scientific Reports· 1 citation