Janus hydrogel with dual antibacterial and angiogenesis functions for enhance d diab etic wound healing

Anti-infection and neovascularization at the wound site are two vital factors that accelerate diabetic wound healing. However, for a wound healing dressing, the two functions need to work at different sites (inner and outer), giving big challenges for dressing design. In this study, we fabricated a novel sodium alginate/chitosan (SA/CS) Janus hydrogel dressing by the assembly of SA hydrogel loaded with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and CS hydrogel impregnated with L -arginine loaded sodium alginate microspheres (ArgMSs) based on electrostatic interactions to combine the two functions. The outer SA-AgNP hydrogel could prevent infection while avoiding the deposition of AgNPs in the wound site, and the inner CS-ArgMS hydrogel on the wound surface could realize the sustained release of L -arginine and promote vascular regeneration. The composition, morphology and swelling/degradation of the SA-AgNP/CS-ArgMS hydrogel were characterized systematically. L -Arginine release behavior has been tested and SA-AgNP/CSArgMS hydrogel has been confirmed for excellent biocompatibility. Antibacterial and angiogenesis assays demonstrated the antibacterial and angiogenesis characteristics of the SA-AgNP/CS-ArgMS hydrogel. Finally, in vivo diabetic wound healing assay demonstrated that the SA-AgNP/CS-ArgMS hydrogel could significantly accelerate re-epithelialization, granulation tissue formation, collagen deposition and angiogenesis, thereby resulting in enhanced diabetic wound healing (c) 2023 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

Automated summary

In this study, a novel sodium alginate/chitosan (SA/CS) Janus hydrogel dressing was fabricated to combine the functions of anti-infection and neovascularization at the wound site. The inner CS-ArgMS hydrogel released L-arginine and promoted vascular regeneration, while the outer SA-AgNP hydrogel prevented infection. The SA-AgNP/CS-ArgMS hydrogel showed excellent biocompatibility and demonstrated antibacterial and angiogenesis characteristics, leading to enhanced diabetic wound healing in vivo.