Towards promoting wound healing: A near-infrared light-triggered persistently antibacterial, synergistically hemostatic nanoarchitecture-integrated chitosan hydrogel

Abstract

The skin, the primary barrier of the body, is inevitably broken. However, the development of materials that facilitate wound healing with sustained antimicrobial, hemostatic, and biocompatible properties remains a formidable challenge. In this article, we prepared a photopolymerizable composite hydrogel consisting of a hydrogel matrix, a hemostatic/antibacterial agent, and a photothermal therapy agent. The photopolymerizable hydrogel matrix was prepared by grafting the photoinitiator and polymerizable active monomer onto the chitosan chain segment, which exhibits excellent biocompatibility. Furthermore, linalool is adsorbed on the surface of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) to form a hemostatic and antibacterial. Meanwhile, dopamine is employed as a coating material for hollow glass microsphere (HGM), which enables them to function as photothermal therapy agents. Upon exposure to near-infrared radiation, the PHA hydrogel releases linalool molecules from the surface of the HNTs, which diffuse into the hydrogel matrix, resulting in a sustained antimicrobial effect. At the same time, rapid curing of the photopolymerizable hydrogel under UV light forms a physical barrier that synergistically enhances the hemostatic properties of the HNTs. From the above, the results pave the way to develop a potential hemostatic antimicrobial dressing for clinical use in wound healing.