Dual-crosslinked bioadhesive hydrogel as NIR/pH stimulus-responsiveness platform for effectively accelerating wound...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Wound Healing Technologies
• Medical Device Innovation

Background:

• Traditional wound dressings lack mechanical strength and real-time monitoring capabilities for infectious skin injuries.
• Developing advanced bioadhesive materials is crucial for effective wound management, especially for dynamic wound environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a multifunctional bioadhesive hydrogel for enhanced wound healing.
• To integrate real-time infection monitoring into a wound dressing.
• To improve upon the mechanical and adhesive properties of existing wound care solutions.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized a polyethylene glycol (PVA)-dextran (Dex)-borax hydrogel incorporating bromothymol blue (BTB) and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC).
• Functionalized the hydrogel with a catechol-tungsten disulfide nanozyme (CL/WS2).
• Evaluated tissue adhesion strength and integrated a sensor for pH-based bacterial infection detection via smartphone imaging.

Main Results:

• The developed hydrogel demonstrated strong and repeatable tissue adhesion (8.3 ± 0.6 kPa), significantly exceeding commercial dressings.
• The integrated sensor enabled real-time, on-site monitoring of wound status by converting visual infection indicators to pH signals.
• The hydrogel showed potential for managing infectious skin injuries and advancing intelligent wound care.

Conclusions:

• The novel bioadhesive hydrogel offers superior mechanical and adhesive properties for wound management.
• The integrated sensing capability facilitates remote, real-time wound status evaluation.
• This technology represents a significant advancement towards intelligent wound management systems.