Synergistic effects of electroactive antibacterial material and electrical stimulation in enhancing skin tissue regeneration: A next-generation dermal wound dressing.

Abstract

We aimed to develop an electroactive antibacterial material for the treatment of skin wound diseases. To this aim, we modified chitosan (CS), a biocompatible polymer, by coupling it with graphene (rGO) and an antimicrobial polypeptide DOPA-PonG1. The material's effect on skin injury healing was studied in combination with external electrical stimulation (EEM). The structure, surface composition, and hydrophilicity of the modified CS materials were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and contact angle measurements. We studied NIH3T3 cells cultured with modified materials and subjected to EEM to assess viability, adhesion, and tissue repair-related gene expression. SEM data demonstrated that rGO was distributed uniformly on the surface of the CS material, increasing surface roughness, and antimicrobial peptides had minimal impact on surface morphology. FTIR confirmed the uniform distribution of rGO and antibacterial peptides on the material surface. Both rGO and DOPA-PonG1 enhanced the hydrophilicity of CS materials, with rGO also improving tensile strength. The dual modification of CS with rGO and DOPA-PonG1 synergistically increased antibacterial efficacy. Cellular events and gene expression relevant to tissue repair process were enhanced by these modifications. Furthermore, EEM accelerated epidermal regeneration more than the material alone. In a rat skin wound model, DOPA-PonG1@CS/rGO dressing combined with electrical stimulation exhibited accelerated healing of skin defect. Overall, our results demonstrate that CS materials modified with rGO and DOPA-PonG1 have increased hydrophilicity, antibacterial characteristics, and tissue regeneration capacities. This modified material in conjunction with EEM hold promise for the clinical management for dermal wounds.