A composite hydrogel dressing with robust antibacterial activity for infected wound healing

The bacterial infection of wounds constitutes a serious medical incident, combating it remains a challenging endeavor. Bacterial infections manifest concomitant hyperinflammation and hyper-reactive oxygen species (ROS) phenotypes. Effective antibacterial strategies involve eliminating pathogenic bacteria, suppressing inflammatory responses, and reducing ROS concentrations. Herein, a multifunctional hydrogel integrating antibacterial, free radical scavenging, anti-inflammatory, and tissue adhesive properties has been fabricated, utilizing phytic acid (PA) as the core bioactive constituent and using carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC), hyaluronic acid (HA), polyacrylamide (pAM) as its structural framework. This PA@CMC&HA/pAM hydrogel demonstrated potent antibacterial efficacy by inhibiting bacteria biofilm formation. It could reduce bacterial inflammation and scavenge reactive nitrogen species/nitric oxide/hydroxyl radicals. Moreover, the hydrogel could accelerate healing of bacteria-infected wounds in rat by integrating rapid hemostasis, potent anti-inflammatory modulation, and collagen-enriched tissue regeneration. Our multifunctional hydrogel holds great promise for antibacterial therapy and wound regeneration, synergistically integrating the merits of antimicrobial agents and tissue repair systems.