Antibacterial Hydrogel Research Articles (Page 1)

Electrical stimulation (ES) via rigid electrodes near the wound is a promising approach for treating chronic wounds, but it cannot stimulate the entire wound area or address infected wounds. Conductive hydrogels enable both endogenous and exogenous current conduction, promote intercellular signaling, and conduct current from external ES to the wound site, thereby enhancing cell migration and angiogenesis. The combined hydrogel dressing/ES treatment strategy can promote wound healing throughout the entire healing process. Despite significant achievements in accelerating wound healing as electroactive dressings, conductive hydrogels face multiple challenges: an imbalance between high conductivity and mechanical properties, lack of antimicrobial activity, and poor adhesion. This study designed and assembled a CuNP-functionalized bacterial cellulose hydrogel exhibiting outstanding antimicrobial properties and favorable mechanical performance. This hydrogel exhibits conductivity comparable to human skin (41.25 ms/m) and mechanical strength (1120% tensile strain), while maintaining good tissue adhesion (up to 27.34 kPa on pig skin) and antibacterial efficacy (>99%). When combined with exogenous ES on diabetic wounds, the hydrogel promotes collagen deposition and angiogenesis, accelerating skin tissue remodeling (reducing wound area to 24.3% within 7 days). Additionally, it functions as a sensor for monitoring human motion and microexpressions. This conductive hydrogel demonstrates significant potential in chronic wound healing and bioelectronics.

Angiogenesis-Driven Hybrid Hydrogel with pH/ROS-Activated Anti-infection and Enhanced Cellular Metabolism for Efficient MRSA-Impaired Wound Repair.

Antibacterial hyaluronic acid hydrogel with sustained release of larazotide as effective colitis treatment.

Preparation of antibacterial CO2-based polycarbonate hydrogels with dual cross-linkages for co-loading of antibiotics and hypoglycemic agents and their applications on diabetic wound dressings

Multifunctional antibacterial and antioxidant hydrogel based on modified sodium alginate and green-synthesized Ag NPs for wound dressing applications

Antibacterial hydrogel filters via in situ growth of Ag-doped ZIF-8 on cellulose nanofibers: A novel strategy for biofouling control in water treatment.

Prefabricated flaps often suffer from distal necrosis due to ischemia, with no clinically effective prevention or treatment currently available. Although extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have shown pro-angiogenic potential, their therapeutic efficacy alone remains limited. In this study, VEGF mRNA is successfully encapsulated within ADSCs-derived EVs, which subsequently exhibit pro-angiogenic effects on cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). To enable sustained release, a biocompatible tannic acid-based hydrogel (TA-Gel) is developed with tunable mechanical properties and antimicrobial activity. This hydrogel significantly enhances both flap viability and vascular regeneration in vivo when combined with VEGF-EVs. Transcriptome sequencing reveals that VEGF-EVs@TA-Gel upregulates differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in VEGF-related pro-angiogenesis, collagen response, and anti-oxidative stress pathways. Moreover, 16S rRNA sequencing confirms that VEGF-EVs@TA-Gel inhibits the growth of common pathogenic bacteria, including Escherichia coli and Pseudomona. Collectively, these findings indicate that VEGF-EVs@TA-Gel promotes the survival and quality of prefabricated flaps through the sustainable release of VEGF mRNA-loaded EVs.

Surface functionalization of medical devices with hydrogels exhibits great potential, but achieving the tough interfacial bonding of hydrogels and substrates is still challenging. Herein, a simple and universal method capable of attaching a lubricating and antibacterial hydrogel coating onto various medical catheters via an adhesive layer is proposed. The method involves two key steps: 1) coating a hydrophilic waterborne polyurethane layer on the surface of the substrates and 2) conducting UV-initiated polymerization of monomer solution to grow a hydrogel coating on the substrates. The coefficient of friction (COF) of the hydrogel coating is as low as 0.027 even after 4,500 friction cycles, which is 94% lower than that of the pristine substrate. Meanwhile, the hydrogel coating demonstrates outstanding antibacterial performance against both Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli) and Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus). Notably, the hydrogel coating establishes strong interfacial bonding with the substrates via the introduction of waterborne polyurethane, thereby achieving a bonding strength of 245.7 N/m and universal adhesion to various substrates such as polyvinyl chloride, silicone, polyethylene, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, and polyurethane. This work is anticipated to offer an effective strategy for constructing hydrogel coatings with strong interfacial bonding strength, lubrication, and antibacterial capacity to prevent complications related to medical devices.

Hydrogels have received significant attention in the biomedical field, but traditional antibacterial hydrogels have certain limitations in terms of antibacterial activity, resistance, and functionality. In this study, we present a multifunctional hydrogel synthesized through a one-step process using carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) as the matrix, tannic acid (TA) as the cross-linking agent, and penicillin (PG)-loaded MXene as the drug additive, for antibacterial therapy. In this system, the composite hydrogel is physically cross-linked through ionic bonds and hydrogen bonds between CMCS and TA, exhibiting good injectability, self-healing properties, and tissue adhesiveness. The incorporation of MXene drug-loaded with penicillin imparts photothermal properties to the hydrogel, thereby enabling a synergistic antibacterial effect between the components, resulting in stable antibacterial activity. In addition, the hydrogel exhibits favorable biocompatibility, as well as the capacity to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) and rapidly arrest hemorrhaging, showing promising applications in wound care.

Antibacterial Bilayer Hydrogel Dressing for Effective Wound Management: Synthesis and Characterization

Photoresponsive molecules have revolutionized the fields of chemistry, biology, and medicine by enabling precise spatiotemporal control through external light stimuli. While extensive efforts have been employed to investigate the photochemical properties of Pt(IV) coordination complexes, their biomedical applications are still limited to chemotherapeutic functions. Herein, the photochemistry of clinical drug-based Pt(IV) prodrugs is investigated. Surprisingly, Pt(IV) complexes, rather than their Pt(II) counterparts, exhibit rapid photolysis upon irradiation at 365 nm, generating various reactive species including ROS and platinum radicals. Exploiting these unique photolysis products, we demonstrate alternative uses of Pt(IV) prodrugs as photoinitiators, enabling facile fabrication of multifunctional macromolecular materials such as antibacterial and conductive hydrogels for motion sensing. Efficient protein crosslinking further suggests that Pt(IV) coordination complexes can be employed as photocrosslinkers for gelatin hydrogelation and as reagents for protein photoreactive labeling. This comprehensive investigation significantly broadens the biomedical applications of Pt(IV) complexes beyond anticancer prodrugs, expanding the current repertoire of phototriggered biomedical applications using metal complexes. Our findings offer an avenue to harness the untapped potential of Pt(IV) prodrugs, paving the way for the development of advanced photoresponsive systems with diverse biomedical and material applications.

Antibiotic-free silk sericin hydrogel with antibacterial and antioxidative dual functionalities promotes wound healing.

A thermally sensitive and antibacterial multifunctional chitosan-based hydrogel that accelerates wound healing by recruiting macrophages and regulating cytokines and cytokeratin

Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose/polyvinyl alcohol/clove essential oil composite hydrogel with integrated antibacterial, antifreeze, and conductive properties as a wearable sensor for human motion monitoring.

Self-healing, antibacterial bilayer hydrogel phase-change composites for sustainable and energy-effective cold chain logistics

Delivered baicalein immunomodulatory hydrogel with dual properties of pH-responsive and anti-infection orchestrates pro-regenerative response of macrophages for enhanced hypertrophic scars therapy.

Nitric oxide releasing ecologically friendly tannic acid based antibacterial hydrogel as flexible electronics.

Multifunctional smart hydrogel dressings that combine diagnosis and treatment are a popular solution for the care and treatment of infectious wounds. Herein, a sandwich structure hydrogel patch (PTP) composed of tannic acid modified gelatin (TGL) as the middle layer and polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel with sodium chloride and iodine (PAI/NS) as the inner and outer layer is successfully designed and assembled. The obtained PTP exhibits good mechanical performance, outstanding biocompatibility, and robust electrical conductivity. When attached to an active wound, the change of electrical signal caused by the movement of conductive ions (Na+ and Cl-) in PAI/NS would reflect the integrity and fit of the gel patch. Meanwhile, the increased temperature of the wound elicits a temperature-activated acid-base color reaction between TGL and PAI/NS, indicating fever and wound infection. In turn, the infection degree of the wound is monitored to guide on-demand drug administration through photothermal antibacterial treatment. The results of in vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrate that the PTP hydrogel patch shows a remarkable anti-infection and pro-healing effect. This smart hydrogel system integrates real-time wound infection monitoring with anti-bacterial treatment, offering a viable strategy for visual, personalized managementof infected chronic wounds.

Abstract Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels present broad applications in the biomedical field due to their excellent biocompatibility, chemical stability and high hydrophilicity, but the practical utility is significantly hindered by their inherent weak mechanical strength and low thermal conductivity. This study presents an innovative strategy to prepare a PVA‐based antibacterial hydrogel with synergistically enhanced thermal conductivity and mechanical properties, which is mainly achieved by introducing Si3N4 nanowires (Si3N4NWs) and constructing highly ordered hierarchical structures through directional freezing and salting‐out techniques. The resulting hydrogel exhibits an exceptional thermal conductivity of 0.82 W m−1 K−1, nearly 1.5 times that of pure PVA hydrogel. Meanwhile, the mechanical strength of the hydrogel is significantly enhanced, with a 23‐fold increase in tensile strength (2.06 MPa) and a 2.96‐fold improvement in elongation at break (824%) relative to pure PVA hydrogel. Moreover, the Si3N4NWs not only reinforced the hydrogel but also endow it with remarkable antibacterial activity (>99% inhibition against Escherichia coli [E. Coli] and Staphylococcus aureus [S. aureus]) and excellent cell compatibility. This multifunctional hydrogel, which combines enhanced thermal conductivity, high strength, and antimicrobial properties, has great potential for biomedical applications, including antipyretic patch, human ligament substitute and sterilization material.

Conductive flexible hydrogel are widely used in wearable electronics owing to its desired conductivity, flexibility, adhesion, and mechanical properties similar to human tissue. Nevertheless, conductivity and bacterial infections are always critical issues for the long-term use of hydrogel wearable sensors. Herein, a multifunctional polyoxometalate-based hydrogel with both antibacterial and sensing performances are prepared by integrating polydopamine-functionalized polyoxometalates (POMs) particles into polyacrylamide matrix. To obtain rapid gelation times (to seconds), a dual autocatalytic system focused on lignin and copper ions was formed by activating ammonium persulfate to generate free radicals and initiating the free-radical polymerization of acrylamide monomers. The fabricated POM-based hydrogel exhibited high mechanical strength (135.8 kPa), conductivity (2.52 mS/cm), and antibacterial activity against Gram-positive/negative bacterial strains Escherichia coli (E. coli, 99.39%) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus, 99.42%); thus, they were utilized as wearable sensors. These sensors also exhibited high stability and repeatability during 6000 s stretching/releasing cycles; therefore, it were used to monitor the human motions of finger, wrist, and elbow. Together, this strategy not only provides approaches for designing POM-based hydrogel materials but also expands the potential application of POMs in the advanced wearable strain sensors and antibacterial field.