A Self-healing, Antibacterial, Antioxidant, Injectable Hydrogel Containing Tannic Acid for Skin Wound Repair

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Skin defects are common clinical issues requiring effective wound repair strategies.
• Current wound dressings often fall short in functional restoration and adequate blood supply.
• Developing advanced materials for enhanced skin regeneration is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an injectable, self-healing composite hydrogel for improved full-thickness skin wound repair.
• To evaluate the hydrogel's properties, including injectability, self-healing, and antibacterial activity.
• To assess the hydrogel's efficacy in promoting skin regeneration and vascularization in vivo.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a composite hydrogel using oxidized sodium hyaluronate (OHA), carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS), and tannic acid (TA) via Schiff base reaction and hydrogen bonding.
• Assessment of hydrogel properties: injectability, self-healing capability, antibacterial activity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability through in vitro and in vivo studies.
• Evaluation of full-thickness skin wound healing in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, focusing on regeneration, inflammation, collagen deposition, and angiogenesis.

Main Results:

• The developed bio-functional hydrogel exhibited excellent injectability, self-healing, and antibacterial properties.
• In vivo subcutaneous implantation confirmed the hydrogel's biocompatibility and biodegradability in rats.
• The hydrogel significantly expedited full-thickness skin wound healing by promoting regeneration, reducing inflammation, increasing collagen, and enhancing blood vessel formation.

Conclusions:

• The injectable, self-healing composite hydrogel presents a promising novel approach for full-thickness skin wound healing and regeneration.
• This advanced biomaterial addresses limitations of current treatments by improving functional restoration and vascularization.
• The study highlights the potential of OHA/CMCS/TA hydrogels in regenerative medicine for skin defect repair.