An Injectable, Self-Healing, Adhesive Multifunctional Hydrogel Promotes Bacteria-Infected Wound Healing

Abstract

Bacterial infections have a serious impact on public health. It is urgent to develop antibacterial hydrogels with good biocompatibility to reduce the use of antibiotics. In this study, poly(lipoic acid-co-sodium lipoate)–phytic acid (P(LA-SL)-PA) hydrogels are prepared by a simple mixture of the natural small molecules lipoic acid (LA) and phytic acid (PA) in a mild and green reaction environment. The crosslinking network is constructed through the connection of covalent disulfide bonds as well as the hydrogen bonds, which endow the injectable and self-healing properties. The P(LA-SL)-PA hydrogels exhibit an adjustable compression modulus and adhesion. The in vitro agar plates assay indicates that the antibacterial rate of hydrogels against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus is close to 95%. In the rat-infected wound model, the P(LA-SL)-PA hydrogels adhere closely to the tissue and promote epithelialization and collagen deposition with a significant effect on wound healing. These results prove that the P(LA-SL)-PA hydrogels could act as effective wound dressings for promoting the healing of infected wounds.