Near-infrared light-actuated on-demand botanicals release and hyperthermia by an antibiotic-free polysaccharide-based hydrogel dressing for the synergistic treatment of wound infections

Abstract

Bacterial infection is a key factor affecting wound healing. Conventional treatments might lead to the widespread emergence of drug-resistant bacteria due to the long-term and excessive use of antibiotics. It is necessary to develop an antibiotic-free method for effective treatment of bacterial wound infections. In this work, we constructed an antibiotic-free polysaccharide-based hydrogel dressing (ATB) with near-infrared light-actuated on-demand botanicals release and hyperthermia for the synergistic treatment of wound infections. The ATB hydrogel dressing was made up of agarose as a support matrix, berberine hydrochloride as the active botanicals and TA–Fe(III) nanoparticles as NIR laser-activated photothermal reagents. The ATB hydrogel dressing showed spatiotemporal botanicals release and excellent photothermal properties with NIR irradiation. With the results of in vitro and in vivo antibacterial experiments, the antibiotic-free ATB hydrogel could synergistically eliminate bacteria and accelerate wound healing. Overall, the near-infrared light-responsive ATB hydrogel could provide a promising antibiotic-free strategy for the treatment of bacterial wound infections.