Electrospun nanofibrous membrane-functionalized dual-responsive self-healing hydrogel dressings based on chitosan and hyaluronic acid encapsulating gallic acid-loaded Eu-MOF clusters for fluorescent monitoring and efficient healing of diabetic wound.
Jul 2026· International Journal of Biological Macromolecules· pp.
153788
· 0 citations· 70 references
Medicine
TL;DR
Animal experiments revealed enhanced collagen deposition and angiogenesis, together with 98.8% wound closure by day 12, and offer an alternative route for designing intelligent dressings for diabetic wounds.
Abstract
Diabetic chronic wounds are difficult to heal because of persistent infection, oxidative stress, inflammation, and hyperglycemia. Herein, a bilayer multifunctional dressing (GCP/GAEu@H) was developed for wound monitoring and diabetic wound repair. The lower layer comprised a glucose- and pH-responsive self-healing hydrogel formed from phenylboronic acid-modified chitosan (CS-PBA) and oxidized hyaluronic acid (OHA) through dynamic boronate ester and Schiff base linkages. The upper layer was a glutaraldehyde-crosslinked chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) (CS/PVA) electrospun nanofibrous membrane. This bilayer configuration increased the tensile strength to 278.94 kPa, provided strong resistance to compressive fatigue, and preserved structural integrity over 50 compression cycles at 60% strain. The incorporated GA-loaded Eu-MOF (GAEu) clusters supplied pH-sensitive fluorescence for real-time assessment of wound status and enabled acid-responsive release of active species. Antibacterial efficiencies against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) exceeded 99%, and 70% of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals were scavenged within 30 min. In addition, it displayed good hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility. Animal experiments revealed enhanced collagen deposition and angiogenesis, together with 98.8% wound closure by day 12. These findings offer an alternative route for designing intelligent dressings for diabetic wounds.
Stable hydrogel formation with favorable porous architecture, swelling behavior, thermal stability, and homogeneous distribution of nanovesicles was well established and exhibited excellent biocompatibility, hemocompatibility, and enhanced cell-material interactions.
Rizos Evangelos Bikiaris, Ioanna Koumentakou, A. Niti et al.· ACS Applied Bio Materials· 0 citations
Conventional wound dressings often fail to integrate rapid hemostasis, antibacterial protection, and a pro-regenerative microenvironment, leading to persistent infection and delayed healing in complex wounds. Herein, we report a multifunctional self-adhesive hydrogel for integrated hemostatic, antibacterial, and regenerative wound management with a synergistic dual-crosslinked network. The hydrogel is composed of methylacrylamide-modified type I collagen (ColMA), o-nitrobenzene-modified hyaluronic acid (HANB), and methylacrylamide-modified chitosan (CSMA), and can rapidly form in situ under UV irradiation through free-radical polymerization of methacrylamide groups and Schiff base reactions between HANB and amino groups on ColMA/CSMA. Once applied to infected wounds, the hydrogel rapidly seals the wound bed and adheres tightly to the tissue, where HANB contributes hemostatic and adhesive properties, CSMA provides intrinsic antibacterial activity to inhibit bacterial colonization, and ColMA offers extracellular matrix-mimicking cues to support cell adhesion and tissue regeneration. Through this coordinated mechanism, the hydrogel not only controls bleeding and reduces infection risk at the early stage but also promotes the growth of granulation tissue, re-epithelialization, and matrix reconstruction during the subsequent repair phase. This platform integrates wound closure, antibacterial defense, and tissue regeneration into a single dressing system, acting as a promising strategy for the treatment of infected wounds.
She-Ji Weng, Zhongqin Lin, Kai Tan et al.· ACS Biomaterials Science & E...· 0 citations
A polyacrylic acid/polyvinyl alcohol composite hydrogel fabricated via self‐catalyzed free radical polymerization, with borax serving as the reinforcing phase, achieves synergistic antibacterial and intelligent responsive therapeutic performances, providing a reliable and high‐efficiency candidate for advanced wound care and next‐generation wound dressing applications.
Lin-Han Hu, Zheng Yang, Xinwei Tao et al.· Macromolecular Bioscience· 0 citations
Chronic diabetic wounds remain a major clinical challenge owing to persistent bacterial infection, prolonged inflammation, excessive exudation, and impaired tissue regeneration. Herein, an injectable thermosensitive hydrogel was developed by integrating N-[(2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium)propyl] chitosan chloride with aldehyde-functionalized Pluronic F127 for epidermal growth factor (EGF) delivery and diabetic wound repair. The hydrogel forms a dual-crosslinked network through temperature-induced micellization and dynamic Schiff base bonding, exhibiting rapid gelation under physiological conditions, shear-thinning behavior, and self-healing properties. In vitro, the hydrogel provides a sustained release profile of EGF exhibiting effective antibacterial activity against Gram-positive S. aureus. In vivo studies in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats demonstrate significantly accelerated wound healing, achieving 83% wound closure within 14 days compared to 45% in the control group, along with enhanced tissue regeneration characteristics, including improved collagen deposition. This multifunctional hydrogel provides a promising strategy for diabetic wound management by integrating antibacterial potential and tissue regeneration.
The self-adaptive sprayable hydrogel dressing developed in this work integrates rapid molding, broad-spectrum antibacterial, antioxidant, and healing-promoting functions, offering a promising new strategy for the effective treatment of complex clinical wounds.
Jinyu Shan, Xinru Wang, Jie Zhang et al.· International Journal of Bio...· 0 citations
It is demonstrated that the catechol-nanocellulose/chitosan polymeric hydrogel effectively overcomes adhesion, infection, and oxidative stress barriers in diabetic wound healing, making it a promising candidate for difficult-to-heal chronic ulcers.
