Injectable, antibacterial, and oxygen-releasing chitosan-based hydrogel for multimodal healing of bacteria-infected wounds

Abstract

Bacterial infection is one of the main challenges of wound healing. It imposes financial and healthcare costs. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has increased concerns about this challenge, and made finding alternative solutions a crucial aim. We created a new, antibacterial, multifunctional hydrogel with synergistic chemodynamic and photothermal features for wound-healing applications. We fabricated a chitosan (CT)-based hydrogel containing tannic acid (TA), Fe, and MnO₂ nanosheets (CT–TA–Fe–MnO₂) via a simple method and characterized it. The antibacterial features (resulting from the production of reactive oxygen species within bacterial cells) and healing ability (via anti-inflammatory and hemostatic features) of the hydrogel were confirmed in vitro. In vivo results revealed the effectiveness of the CT–TA–Fe–MnO₂ hydrogel in decreasing the hemostatic time, improving anti-inflammatory effects, and promoting wound healing during 14 days by enhancing the deposition and maturation of collagen fibers without affecting the vital organs. The fabricated CT–TA–Fe–MnO₂ hydrogel could be a promising candidate with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities suitable for wound-healing applications.