Facile preparation of polyphenol-crosslinked chitosan-based hydrogels for cutaneous wound repair

The design and facile preparation of the smart hydrogel wound dressings with inherent excellent antioxidant and antibacterial capacity to effectively promote wound healing processes is highly desirable in clinical applications. Herein, a series of multifunctional hydrogels were prepared by the dynamic Schiff base and boronate ester crosslinking among phenylboronic acid (PBA) grafted carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS), polyphenols and Cu2+- crosslinked polyphenol nanoparticles (CuNPs). The dynamic crosslinking bonds endowed hydrogels with excellent self-healing and degradable properties. Three polyphenols including tannic acid (TA), oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPC) and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) contributed to the outstanding antibac-terial and antioxidant abilities of these hydrogels. The tissue adhesive capacity of hydrogels gave them good hemostatic effect. Through a full-thickness skin defect model of mice, these biocompatible hydrogels could accelerate wound healing processes by promoting granulation tissue formation, collagen deposition, M2 macrophage polarization and cytokine secretion, demonstrating that these natural-derived hydrogels with inherent physiological properties and low-cost preparation approaches could be promising dressing materials.

Automated summary

Researchers prepared a series of multifunctional hydrogels by dynamic Schiff base and boronate ester crosslinking, including phenylboronic acid (PBA) grafted carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS), polyphenols, and Cu2+-crosslinked polyphenol nanoparticles (CuNPs). These hydrogels exhibited excellent self-healing and degradable properties. The antibacterial and antioxidant abilities of these hydrogels were contributed by three polyphenols, including tannic acid (TA), oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPC), and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG). The hydrogels also demonstrated good hemostatic effect due to their tissue adhesive capacity. In a full-thickness skin defect model of mice, these biocompatible hydrogels accelerated wound healing processes by promoting granulation tissue formation, collagen deposition, M2 macrophage polarization, and cytokine secretion, suggesting their potential as dressing materials with inherent physiological properties and low-cost preparation approaches.