Novel injectable self-healing bifunctionalized chitosan hydrogel with cell proliferation and antibacterial activity...

Wound healing is a complex and continuous process and there is an urgent need to develop effective, functional wound dressings to accelerate wound healing. In this study, we developed an injectable self-healing dual-modified chitosan composite hydrogel, referred to as CSTA@Gel. This hydrogel exhibits good properties, including effective tissue adhesion, rapid hemostatic ability, and good cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility. Additionally, the incorporation of modified adenine and thymine enhances its cell proliferation-promoting and antimicrobial properties, demonstrating significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Histological and immunohistochemical analyses reveal that treatment with CSTA@Gel significantly promotes wound healing, increases collagen deposition, and accelerates angiogenesis. These findings indicate that this hydrogel design presents a promising strategy for developing of novel wound dressings.