A pH/heating-driven curdlan-based complementary hydrogel for promoting full-thickness skin wound healing.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Wound Healing Research
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Curdlan (CUR)-based hydrogels show potential for wound healing but have limitations in flexibility, brittleness, and drug loading.
• Mangiferin (MF), a self-assembling polyphenol, and dihydromyricetin (DMY), an antibacterial agent, were explored to enhance CUR hydrogels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a flexible, stable, and enhanced curdlan-based hydrogel (D@CM Gel) for infected skin wound treatment.
• To evaluate the physicochemical properties, antibacterial activity, antioxidant capacity, and in vivo wound healing performance of the developed hydrogel.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a complementary hydrogel (CM Gel) via non-covalent interactions between CUR and MF.
• Loading of dihydromyricetin (DMY) into CM Gel using a solvent-free, one-pot pH/heating process to create D@CM Gel.
• In vitro antibacterial, antioxidant, and biofilm inhibition assays; in vivo full-thickness wound model in mice infected with S. aureus.

Main Results:

• D@CM Gel exhibited improved mechanical properties, flexibility, and stability under physiological conditions (pH ~6.5).
• In vitro studies demonstrated potent antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli, strong antioxidant capacity, and effective biofilm inhibition.
• In vivo, D@CM Gel significantly accelerated wound closure, reduced inflammation, promoted collagen deposition and angiogenesis, outperforming commercial dressings.

Conclusions:

• The developed D@CM Gel offers a promising, easily fabricated wound dressing with synergistic therapeutic functions.
• This enhanced hydrogel demonstrates significant potential for treating infected skin wounds due to its comprehensive properties and biocompatibility.