Injectable In Situ Photocrosslinked Hydrogel Dressing for Infected Wound Healing

Abstract

A traditional injectable photocrosslinked hydrogel had disadvantages of the residual photoinitiator and toxic crosslinker, slow in situ curing, and a complex preparation process. At the same time, hydrogels cannot act as artificial skin to restore skin sensory function during the wound healing cycle. In this work, an injectable photocrosslinked hydrogel was prepared which can be quickly in situ cured without photoinitiator. Oxidized sodium alginate was used as a natural macromolecular crosslinking agent to form an injectable hydrogel framework with the photosensitive polymer polyvinyl alcohol bearing styrylpyridinium group (PVA-SBQ). In addition, the hydrogel was endowed with photothermal therapy property after the introduction of biomass-like polydopamine particles. When used as a wound dressing, the hydrogel exhibited an excellent antibacterial property, with an antibacterial rate of 99.56% Escherichia coli and 97.96% Staphylococcus aureus. As a result, the hydrogel could significantly accelerate the repair of infected wounds, with a wound healing rate of 96.45% after 14 days. Moreover, the hydrogel exhibited a sensitive and stable sensing property, making it promising to reconstitute the sensory function of damaged skin during treatment. This work provides an idea for the development of injectable photocrosslinked hydrogel dressing.

In situ light‐activated materials for skin wound healing and repair: A narrative review

“… 57 Recently, Zhang et al reported the direct conjugation of the styrylpyridinium small molecule photoinitiator dye to polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (15% wt/vol) to develop a photocuring, injectable hydrogel in complex with oxidized sodium alginate. 58 The material was evaluated in an S. aureus ‐infected full‐thickness wound model in mice with in situ photoactivation of dressing‐to‐wound interaction at 365 nm for 30 s. Subsequent differential irradiation of incorporated polydopamine with 808‐nm light for 10 min demonstrated a significant acceleration of wound closure with the hydrogel alone that was further enhanced by NIR stimulation, accompanied by enhanced angiogenesis and collagen deposition in proportion to the healing efficacy. 58 …”

“… 58 The material was evaluated in an S. aureus ‐infected full‐thickness wound model in mice with in situ photoactivation of dressing‐to‐wound interaction at 365 nm for 30 s. Subsequent differential irradiation of incorporated polydopamine with 808‐nm light for 10 min demonstrated a significant acceleration of wound closure with the hydrogel alone that was further enhanced by NIR stimulation, accompanied by enhanced angiogenesis and collagen deposition in proportion to the healing efficacy. 58 …”

Gelatin-Based Injectable Hydrogels Loaded with Copper Ion Cross-linked Tannic Acid Nanoparticles for Irregular Wound Closure Repair

“…Many materials have been developed to prepare injectable hydrogel wound dressings, such as natural polymers (gelatin, chitosan, , alginate, , fibrin, , etc.) and synthetic polymers (poly­(vinyl alcohol), , poly­(acrylic acid), etc.). In these studies, methacrylate-based gelatin (GelMA) is favored by a wide range of scholars for its outstanding biocompatibility, biodegradability, and excellent moldability as well as rapid gelation performance. , Wang et al have developed a methacrylation gelatin/oxidized dextran hydrogel in combination with highly dispersed amino-modified poly­(lactic- co -glycolic acid) electrospun fiber segments.…”

“…(2) The initiation efficiency of the initiator is not enough, and the speed of its in situ molding is not enough. (3) The adhesion to the trauma surface and the mechanical properties are relatively weak. , Thus, it is relevant to develop injectable hydrogels that can be molded in situ with good biocompatibility, mechanical properties, and adhesion performance.…”