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Dual-Engineered Hydrogels from Shared Precursors: Injectable Conformability and Janus Asymmetric Adhesion for
Yuxuan Xie1, Guoqiang Xu2, Yuan Zhong1
1College of Life Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|December 18, 2025
Summary
Dual-engineered hydrogels using gelatin, oxidized sodium alginate, folic acid, and cerium ions offer rapid hemostasis and enhanced wound healing. These advanced wound dressings provide efficient bleeding control and promote tissue regeneration.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Regenerative Medicine
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Hydrogels are crucial for wound healing applications.
- Current hydrogels often lack sufficient hemostatic and regenerative properties.
- Developing advanced hydrogels with dual functionality is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop dual-engineered hydrogels for rapid hemostasis and accelerated wound healing.
- To investigate the hemostatic, adhesive, antioxidant, and biocompatible properties of the hydrogels.
- To evaluate the efficacy of the hydrogels in promoting skin wound closure and tissue regeneration.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of injectable and Janus hydrogels from gelatin (GA), oxidized sodium alginate (OSA), folic acid (FA), and cerium(III) ions (Ce3+).
- Assessment of shear-thinning behavior, asymmetric adhesion, hemostatic efficiency (in vitro and in vivo), wet adhesion, and antioxidant activity.
- Evaluation of biocompatibility using cell viability assays.
- In vivo testing in rat liver injury and full-thickness skin wound models to assess hemorrhage control and wound healing acceleration.
Main Results:
- Hydrogels demonstrated shear-thinning behavior for conformal wound adaptation and sustained FA/Ce3+ release.
- Exceptional hemostatic efficiency with clotting times <60 s (in vitro) and >90% hemorrhage reduction (in vivo).
- Hydrogels exhibited robust wet adhesion, significant antioxidant activity (>90% ROS scavenging), and excellent biocompatibility (>98% cell viability).
- Accelerated wound closure (94.3% at 14 days) via promotion of M1-to-M2 macrophage polarization, angiogenesis, and collagen remodeling.
- Injectable hydrogels optimized fibroblast migration, while Janus hydrogels provided contamination resistance.
Conclusions:
- Dual-engineered hydrogels offer a versatile platform for managing complex wounds.
- The developed hydrogels provide rapid hemostasis, promote wound healing, and possess protective properties.
- This dual design strategy significantly enhances hydrogel applicability as advanced wound dressings.
