A Biomimetic Mussel-Inspired ε-Poly-L-lysine Hydrogel with Robust Tissue-Anchor and Anti-Infection Capacity

In situ hydrogels have attracted considerable attention in tissue engineering because of their minimal invasiveness and ability to match the irregular tissue defects. However, hydrous physiological environments and the high level of moisture in hydrogels severely hamper binding to the target tissue and easily cause wound infection, thereby limiting the effectiveness in wound care management. Thus, forming an intimate assembly of the hydrogel to the tissue and preventing wound infecting still remains a significant challenge. In this study, inspired by mussel adhesive protein, a biomimetic dopamine-modified epsilon-poly-L-lysine-polyethylene glycol-based hydrogel (PPD hydrogel) wound dressing is developed in situ using horseradish peroxidase cross-linking. The biomimetic catechol-Lys residue distribution in PPD polymer provides a catechol-Lys cooperation effect, which endows the PPD hydrogels with superior wet tissue adhesion properties. It is demonstrated that the PPD hydrogel can facilely and intimately integrate with biological tissue and exhibits superior capacity of in vivo hemostatic and accelerated wound repair. In addition, the hydrogels exhibit outstanding anti-infection property because of the inherent antibacterial ability of epsilon-poly-L-lysine. These findings shed new light on the development of mussel-inspired tissue-anchored and antibacterial hydrogel materials serving as wound dressings.