Analysis of Antimicrobial and Wound-Healing Properties of Injectable and Adhesive Thermosensitive Hydrogels with Ultrafast Self-gelling

The development of a smart hydrogel platform with shape adaptability and excellent antibacterial activity for treating bacteria-infected wound is highly demanded in practical applications. Herein, an injectable thermosensitive hydrogel with adhesive and photothermal antibacterial activity was prepared by combination of biocompatible chitosan (CS), & beta;-sodium glycerophosphate (& beta;-GP) and polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs) via hydrogen bonding and Schiff base bond. It was noted that catechol groups were grafted on the chitosan backbone to improve the adhesive activity between hydrogel and tissues. Catechol-modified chitosan (CHI -C), & beta;-GP and PDA NPs could form a crosslinked network by simple stirring at physiological temperature within 1.5 min. Furthermore, the introduction of PDA NPs with efficient photothermal conversion ability not only endowed the hydrogel with excellent antibacterial ability, but also enhanced the mechanical property of the hydrogel network. The as-prepared CHI-C/& beta;-GP/PDA hydrogel with good biocompatibility, excellent photothermal conversion ability, and fantastic antibacterial effect could be injected directly in the irregular wounds of mice to form the hydrogel in situ. The experimental results demonstrated that the as-prepared smart hydrogel could be expected to serve as a promising wound to promote bacteria-infected wound healing.

Automated summary

The development of a smart hydrogel platform with shape adaptability and excellent antibacterial activity for treating bacteria-infected wound is highly demanded. An injectable thermosensitive hydrogel with adhesive and photothermal antibacterial activity was prepared by combining biocompatible chitosan (CS), β-sodium glycerophosphate (β-GP), and polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs) via hydrogen bonding and Schiff base bond. The as-prepared CHI-C/β-GP/PDA hydrogel with good biocompatibility, excellent photothermal conversion ability, and fantastic antibacterial effect could be injected directly in the irregular wounds of mice to form the hydrogel in situ, showing great potential for promoting bacteria-infected wound healing.