A hydrogel dressing derived from furoic acid/betaine co-modified chitosan: accelerating Staphylococcus aureus...

Bacterial infections represent a major bottleneck to wound repair and a critical clinical challenge. To address these dilemma, a hydrogel dressing based on furoic acid and betaine co-modified chitosan (FUA-CS-BE) was developed in this study. The in vivo therapeutic efficacy of FUA-CS-BE hydrogel (FUA-CS-BE^gel) on Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)-infected full-thickness skin wounds was evaluated. Studies found that the FUA-CS-BE^gel treatment led to a reduction in bacterial burden at the wound site, accelerating wound healing. Meanwhile, FUA-CS-BE^gel modulated the inflammatory microenvironment by down-regulating the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), thereby mitigating excessive inflammatory responses. Furthermore, FUA-CS-BE^gel significantly promoted micro-vascular angiogenesis, as indicated by up-regulated expression of key angiogenic markers, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and CD31. These synergistic effects collectively accelerated wound healing and ultimately enhance the repair efficiency of S. aureus-infected wounds. FUA‑CS‑BE^gel exerted antibacterial activity via a dual mechanism: disrupting bacterial membrane integrity and interfering with metabolic pathways. Taken together, these results demonstrate that FUA-CS-BE^gel holds great promise as a candidate for the clinical management of bacterial-infected wounds.