Cu(II)@MXene based photothermal hydrogel with antioxidative and antibacterial properties for the infected wounds

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Wound Healing Research

Background:

• Bacterial infections and reactive oxygen species (ROS) significantly impede skin tissue regeneration, presenting a clinical challenge.
• Persistent inflammation in infected wounds further compromises the natural healing process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an advanced antibacterial dressing for infected skin wounds.
• To investigate the efficacy of a novel Cu(II)@MXene photothermal complex integrated into a hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel for accelerated wound healing.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a Cu(II)@MXene photothermal complex via electrostatic self-assembly.
• Incorporation of the complex into a hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel to create an injectable and self-healing antibacterial dressing.
• Evaluation of the dressing's properties, including adhesion, self-healing, and injectability.
• Assessment of the dressing's in vivo performance in infected wound models, analyzing inflammation, collagen deposition, vessel formation, and wound closure.

Main Results:

• The developed HA hydrogel dressing exhibited rapid adhesion, self-healing, and injectability for versatile wound application.
• The Cu(II)@MXene complex demonstrated potent photothermal antibacterial activity, effectively scavenged ROS, and promoted angiogenesis.
• In vivo studies confirmed significant improvements in reducing inflammation, enhancing collagen deposition and vessel formation, and accelerating wound closure.

Conclusions:

• The Cu(II)@MXene photothermal hydrogel dressing offers a promising multi-functional therapeutic strategy for treating infected skin wounds.
• This innovative dressing accelerates skin regeneration by simultaneously addressing bacterial infection, inflammation, and impaired vascularization.