An Insect Chitosan/Konjac Glucomannan Multifunctional Photo-Cross-Linking Hydrogel Loaded with a Baicalin...

Traditional wound dressings such as gauze and bandages cannot adequately handle the complex biological features of diabetic wounds, including increased bacterial infection risk and persistent inflammation. Therefore, creating multifunctional wound dressings with diverse biological activities is an essential clinical strategy. This study developed a dual-cross-linked photopolymerizable hydrogel (Q/O/Z@B/UV) for treating MRSA-infected diabetic wounds. The hydrogel integrates a network of quaternized insect chitosan and methacrylate-oxidized konjac glucomannan with a baicalin-modified zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 nanosystem. The resulting hydrogels exhibit excellent mechanical properties, biocompatibility, degradability, hemostatic effects, and antimicrobial activity. The Z@B system further enhances antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities and also promotes cell proliferation and differentiation. In a full-thickness skin defect model using MRSA-infected diabetic rats, Q/O/Z@B/UV significantly accelerated wound closure, promoted collagen deposition, suppressed inflammatory factor expression, and enhanced angiogenesis. Overall, this multifunctional hydrogel shows great potential for treating MRSA-infected diabetic wounds.