Multifunctional Hydrogel Patch with Toughness, Tissue Adhesiveness, and Antibacterial Activity for Sutureless Wound Closure

A multifunctional hydrogel patch with a combination of high toughness, superior adhesion, and good antibacterial effect is a highly desired surgical material. In this study, we developed a novel hydrogel patch composed of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate/quaternized chitosan/tannic acid (PEGDA/QCS/TA) based on mussel-inspired chemistry. The physical and biological properties of the hydrogel patch were systematically evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The results indicated that this hydrogel patch possessed compact microstructure, low swelling ratio, tough mechanical properties, good antibacterial activities against S. aureus and E. coli, and excellent dry/wet adhesive ability to a wide range of substrates. The hydrogel patch could also be degraded and absorbed in vivo and used as a sutureless material for wound closure. All these findings demonstrate that the PEGDA/QCS/TA hydrogel patch with multifunctional properties has great potential for application in biomedical fields.