Collagen–Hyaluronic\nAcid Composite Hydrogels\nwith Applications for Chronic Diabetic Wound Repair

Abstract

Chronic diabetic wounds have become a major healthcare\nchallenge\nworldwide. Improper treatment may lead to serious complications. Current\ntreatment methods including biological and physical methods and skin\ngrafting have limitations and disadvantages, such as poor efficacy,\ninconvenience of use, and high cost. Therefore, developing a more\neffective and feasible treatment is of great significance for the\nrepair of chronic diabetic wounds. Hydrogels can be designed to serve\nmultiple functions to promote the repair of chronic diabetic wounds.\nFurthermore, 3D bioprinting enables hydrogel customization to fit\nchronic diabetic wounds, thus facilitating the healing process. This\npaper reports a study of 3D printing of a collagen–hyaluronic\nacid composite hydrogels with application for chronic diabetic wound\nrepair. In situ printed hydrogels were developed by a macromolecular\ncrosslinking network using methacrylated recombinant human collagen\n(RHCMA) and methacrylated hyaluronic acid (HAMA), both of which can\nrespond to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The hydrogels were also loaded\nwith silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) with ultra-small-size nanoparticles,\nwhich have the advantages of deep penetration ability and broad-spectrum\nhigh-efficiency antibacterial properties. The results of this study\nshow that the developed RHCMA, HAMA, and AgNCs (RHAg) composite hydrogels\npresent good UV responsiveness, porosity, mechanical properties, printability,\nand biocompatibility, all of which are beneficial to wound healing.\nThe results of this study further show that the developed RHAg hydrogels\nnot only effectively inhibited Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa but also\npromoted the proliferation and migration of fibroblasts in vitro and\ntissue regeneration and collagen deposition in vivo, thus producing\na desirable wound repair effect and can be used as an effective functional\nbiomaterial to promote chronic diabetic wound repair.