Mechanically compliant multifunctional bioadhesive hydrogel for rapid wound repair

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Current surgical bioadhesives face limitations due to mechanical mismatch with skin and insufficient multifunctionality.
• Developing advanced wound closure materials is crucial for improving patient outcomes and accelerating healing processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a mechanically compliant and multifunctional bioadhesive hydrogel for rapid and effective wound repair.
• To investigate the adhesive properties, mechanical characteristics, and therapeutic efficacy of the novel hydrogel in infected full-thickness skin wounds.

Main Methods:

• A hybrid crosslinking strategy was employed to synthesize the polyacrylamide (PAM), alginate (Alg), tannic acid (TA), and ferric chloride (FeCl3)-based hydrogel (PATF).
• Mechanical properties (modulus, toughness, stretchability, hysteresis), adhesion strength, and detachability were evaluated.
• Multifunctional properties including antioxidant capacity, photothermal therapy (PTT)-mediated antibacterial effects, conductivity, and hemostatic performance were assessed.
• The hydrogel's efficacy in promoting wound healing, including inflammation suppression, collagen deposition, and angiogenesis, was investigated in infected full-thickness skin wound models.

Main Results:

• The PATF hydrogel exhibited a skin-like modulus (~25 kPa), enhanced toughness (328.9 kJ/m³), ultra-stretchability (~2500% strain), and low hysteresis (<21%).
• PATF demonstrated superior conformational adhesion to skin (5.25-fold stronger than 3M Tegaderm) and on-demand detachment.
• The hydrogel showed significant antioxidant capacity, PTT-mediated antibacterial efficacy, skin-like conductivity, and excellent hemostatic performance.
• Application of PATF hydrogel accelerated the healing of infected full-thickness skin wounds within 7 days, promoting collagen deposition and angiogenesis.

Conclusions:

• The developed PATF hydrogel presents a promising solution for advanced wound management due to its integrated mechanical compliance and multifunctionality.
• Its superior adhesion, rapid healing promotion, and on-demand detachment capabilities offer significant advantages over existing bioadhesives.
• This mechanically and biologically compliant hydrogel holds potential for versatile applications in fast and effective wound repair and regeneration.