Gallium-doped borosilicate bioactive glass modified bacterial cellulose functional dressing for infective wound

Herein, gallium (Ga)-doped borosilicate bioactive glass (BBG) coating was fabricated on the BC nanofibers via the sol-gel synthesis and hydrolysis reaction, and a novel Ga-doped BBG modified BC (Ga³⁺@BBG/BC) functional dressing was developed. The nanofiber 3D network structure can be observed in Ga³⁺@BBG/BC and BBG/BC samples as well as BC, along with the increases of the fiber diameters and the decreases of the porosity. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), infrared (IR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) results further verified that gallium-doped borosilicate bioactive glass formed nanocoatings on the surface of bacterial cellulose nanofibers. The obtained Ga³⁺@BBG/BC dressing exhibited acceptable mechanical properties and favorable water absorption. The introduction of Ga ions endowed the BC-based dressing with acceptable antibacterial properties, while BBG coating improved the cytocompatibility of dressing, and promoted NIH3T3 proliferation and HUVEC migration. The in vivo studies further demonstrated that the Ga³⁺@BBG/BC dressing fully promoted infective wound healing within 12 days, accompanied by inhibiting the inflammation, promoting collagen deposition, hair follicle growth and neovascularization. Our findings suggest that Ga³⁺@BBG/BC shows strong potential as a wound dressing candidate for infected wounds; however, further preclinical and clinical studies are required to confirm its effectiveness in humans.