Nanomedicine hybrid and catechol functionalized chitosan as pH-responsive multi-function hydrogel to efficiently promote infection wound healing

Abstract

The complicated wound repair process caused by microbial infection is still a clinical problem due to antibiotic resistance. Therefore it is necessary to employ the incorporating bioactive molecules in the dressing to solve this problem. Herein, a multifunctional nanocomposite hydrogel (CS-HCA-Icps) with the pathological pH-responsive drug release has been developed to promote the infection-impaired wound healing. CS-HCA-Icps nanocomposite hydrogel composed of catechol-grafted chitosan (CS-HCA) and a curcumin-Fe³⁺ coordination nanoparticles (Icps, Cur-Fe³⁺) exhibits the favorable activities in free radical scavenging, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. The favorable biocompatibility is also demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo experiments. These demonstrate the promoting efficacy of hydrogel in wound healing. In this study, Chitosan (CS) shows excellent biocompatibility and antibacterial properties for tissue repair. After functional modification with HCA, the catechol groups are beneficial to improve antioxidant capacity for wound repair, Moreover, Icps nanomedicine are able to enhance the loaded Cur release in response to the pathological acidic microenvironment at the inflammatory stage of wounds. Thus, the pathological pH-responsive hydrogel integrating anti-bacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory functions may represent a promising strategy for safe and efficient wound healing, in particular for potential clinical use.

Keywords: Hydrogel; Infected wound; pH-responsive.