Bacterial infections severely threaten human health;
therefore,
it is important to endow the matrix for tissue engineering with antibacterial
efficiency. The loading of antibacterial drugs on nanomaterials provides
an efficient strategy to realize synergistic antibacterial efficiency.
By depositing various metal–organic frameworks, such as UIO-66,
onto konjac glucomannan (KGM), composite hydrogels (KGM/UIO-66) were
created. These hydrogels were used as drug carriers, enabling the
development of antibacterial hydrogels with high drug loading capacities
(e.g., the maximum loading amount of pterostilbene on KGM/UIO-66 reached
0.157 mg/mg) and sustained drug release. The resulting KGM/UIO-66/pterostilbene
hydrogel exhibited a three-dimensional porous structure, excellent
biocompatibility, antibacterial efficiency, and anti-inflammatory
activity. It effectively protected cells from bacterial attacks while
ensuring cell adhesion and proliferation, demonstrating great potential
as a three-dimensional substrate for biomedical applications, including
tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.