B-MOF self-enhanced pullulan/chitosan hydrogel for diabetic wound management: antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and...

In the treatment of diabetic wounds, alleviating chronic inflammation in the wound microenvironment, controlling bacterial infection, and promoting angiogenesis remain major challenges in both clinical practice and fundamental research. However, monomodal therapeutic approaches are ineffective in the treatment of this disease. To address this issue, we propose a polysaccharide hydrogel-based strategy that integrates drug delivery and microenvironmental remodelling for the comprehensive management of diabetic wounds. Specifically, a multifunctional hydrogel (P₁K₃@B-MOF) was developed by incorporating salvianolic acid B(Sal B)-loaded zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (B-MOF) into an oxidized pullulan/quaternized chitosan hydrogel matrix via ionic and hydrogen bonds. The resulting P₁K₃@B-MOF hydrogel exhibited excellent biocompatibility, broad-spectrum antibacterial activity (inhibition rate > 90 %), and self-healing properties. By releasing Sal B and Zn²⁺, the hydrogel effectively accelerated cell migration, promoted angiogenesis, and induced macrophage polarization toward an anti-inflammatory phenotype. In a full-thickness skin defect model in diabetic rats, P₁K₃@B-MOF significantly alleviated local inflammation, stimulated granulation tissue formation and neovascularization, enhanced re-epithelialization and collagen remodelling, and reduced scar formation, thereby accelerating wound closure. In summary, this polysaccharide-based hydrogel system, with its controlled drug release capability and multifunctional synergistic effects, offers a promising therapeutic strategy for the management of diabetic wounds.