Flexible Bicolorimetric Polyacrylamide/Chitosan Hydrogels for Smart Real-Time Monitoring and Promotion of Wound Healing

Real-time monitoring of wound healing remains a major challenge in clinical tissue regeneration, calling the need for the development of biomaterial-guided on-site monitoring wound healing technology. In this study, multifunctional double colorimetry-integrated polyacrylamide-quaternary ammonium chitosan-carbon quantum dots (CQDs)-phenol red hydrogels are presented, aiming to simultaneously detect the wound pH level, reduce bacterial infection, and promote wound healing. The hybridization of CQDs and pH indicator (phenol red) with the hydrogels enables their high responsiveness, reversibility, and accurate indication of pH variability to reflect the dynamic wound status in the context of both ultraviolet and visible light. Furthermore, these visual images can be collected by smartphones and converted into on-site wound pH signals, allowing for a real-time evaluation of the wound dynamic conditions in a remote approach. Notably, the hydrogels exhibit excellent hemostatic and adhesive properties, maintain sufficient wound moisture, and promote wound healing via their high antibacterial activity (against Staphylococcus Aureus, and Escherichia Coli) and skin repair function. Overall, the resulting hydrogels have high potential as a novel smart and flexible wound dressing platform for theranostic skin regeneration.

Automated summary

The study presents multifunctional hydrogels for real-time monitoring of wound healing, which can detect pH level, reduce bacterial infection, and promote wound healing simultaneously. The hybridization of CQDs and pH indicator with the hydrogels allows for high responsiveness and accurate indication of pH variability, enabling real-time evaluation of wound conditions. These hydrogels have potential as a smart and flexible wound dressing platform for theranostic skin regeneration.