Injectable natural hydrogel with spatiotemporal self-strengthening, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties for treating diabetic wound

Abstract

Injectable hydrogel dressings provide a promising approach for treating diabetic wounds as they conform to irregular surfaces and foster new tissue development in a moist environment. Nevertheless, post-injection mechanical performance is often mediocre, coupled with inadequate antibacterial protection. Herein, we prepared an injectable hydrogel dressing (CBGT@PDA) consisting of double-network hydrogel (CBGT) and polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs) as a multi-targeted combination therapy system oriented to chronic diabetic wound healing. Efficient enzymatic reactions combined with a slow quaternization procedure regulate the mechanical attributes of injectable hydrogels, offering spatiotemporal self-strengthening and exceptional antibacterial capabilities. The hydrogel system is also equipped with scavenged ROS function, bioadhesion characteristics and remarkable biocompatibility, thus exhibiting high improvement in the healing of the diabetic wound. We believe such injectable hydrogels with spatiotemporal self-strengthening capabilities in both of mechanical and antibacterial properties will provide new insight into the hydrogel-based wound dressing and broaden the application of the bioinspired hydrogels in biomedical fields.