All-Natural Injectable Antibacterial Hydrogel Enabled by Chitosan and Borneol

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Traditional Chinese Medicine

Background:

• Developing effective bacteriostatic natural hydrogels remains a significant challenge in biomedicine.
• Borneol, a component of traditional Chinese medicine, exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial activity via membrane disruption.
• Natural strategies are increasingly explored for creating antimicrobial biomaterials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize fully natural antibacterial hydrogels with enhanced efficacy.
• To investigate the synergistic antibacterial effect of modified borneol and carboxymethyl chitosan.
• To evaluate the cytocompatibility and injectability of the developed hydrogels for wound treatment.

Main Methods:

• Schiff base cross-linking of carboxymethyl chitosan and dialdehyde dextran grafted with borneol.
• Hydrophilic modification of borneol onto dextran in three configurations to enhance antibacterial properties.
• Assessment of antibacterial activity against *E. coli* and *S. aureus*, in vitro cytocompatibility (cytotoxicity, protein adhesion, hemolysis), and injectability.

Main Results:

• Synthesized fully natural hydrogels demonstrated complete inhibition of *E. coli* and *S. aureus* growth within 24 hours.
• Hydrophilic modification of borneol and the presence of carboxymethyl chitosan synergistically boosted antibacterial efficacy.
• The hydrogels exhibited good in vitro cytocompatibility and were injectable, suitable for minimally invasive delivery.

Conclusions:

• This research presents a novel approach to creating potent, natural antibacterial hydrogels.
• The developed hydrogels show significant potential for the treatment of topical wound infections.
• The combination of modified borneol and carboxymethyl chitosan offers a promising strategy for next-generation antimicrobial biomaterials.