Multifunctional Janus dressing based on gelatin with enhanced interlayer bonding and antibacterial capabilities for...

Skin wounds resulting from traumatic injuries or surgical procedures compromise the skin barrier, posing serious threats to patient health. The development of multifunctional dressings capable of integrating noninvasive mechanical regulation and active/passive intervention remains an urgent challenge in advanced wound management. Herein, we report a Janus dressing developed through the thermal crosslinking of hydrophilic hydrogel and hydrophobic polyurethane (PU), which can accelerate wound healing by means of antibacterial (multiple pathways), sutureless wound closure, and electrical stimulation (ES). Meanwhile, the bonding ability between PU and hydrogel can withstand 400% tensile strength. The hydrogel (mainly composed of biomacromolecule gelatin) of Janus dressing contains curcumin micelles, which not only have antibacterial activity but also effectively reduce wound inflammation, thus accelerating the healing of infected wounds. The PU doped with carbon nanotubes promotes Janus dressing to have excellent mechanical toughness (24.89 MJ/m³) and electrical conductivity (2.16 mS/cm). The results based on the full-thickness skin defect model indicate that, with the help of ES, the Janus dressing enhances cell proliferation and angiogenesis in the wound area, achieving rapid wound healing through this proactive intervention. This work offers a promising way to develop novel multifunctional Janus dressing for multi-style healing promotion and wound management efficiency improvement.