Aug 2026· International Journal of Biological Macromolecules· Vol 381, pp.
154196
· 0 citations· 77 references
Medicine
TL;DR
The SA-Anth hydrogel film integrates pH-responsive visual indication, antibacterial activity, favorable biocompatibility, infected-wound repair performance, and EDTA-assisted material recovery, providing a promising platform for intelligent wound-dressing applications.
Abstract
Wound status monitoring has emerged as a promising strategy to enable timely intervention for effective wound infection management and promote wound healing. Herein, a recyclable alginate hydrogel film with pH-sensing and antibacterial functions is developed as a smart wound dressing. The hydrogel film (SA-Anth) was fabricated via a two-step process, i.e., an evaporation-induced self-assembly of sodium alginate solution doped with anthocyanin and glycerin, followed by Ca2+-mediated ionic cross-linking using CaCl2. Taking advantage of the pH-responsiveness of anthocyanin, the hydrogel film exhibited distinct color changes from red-purple at pH 5.0 to violet-blue at pH 7.3 and further to green at pH 9.0, suggesting its potential for visual monitoring of wound pH variations associated with infection. The incorporation of anthocyanin endowed the film with antibacterial activity, achieving bacterial reduction rates of 90.48% against E. coli and 98.10% against S. aureus. The hydrogel film also exhibited wound-dressing-relevant properties, including appropriate physicochemical performance, a low hemolysis ratio, and good in vitro cytocompatibility. In an S. aureus-infected rat full-thickness wound model, SA-Anth treatment enhanced wound closure and improved histological features of tissue repair compared with the control treatments. Furthermore, the de-crosslinking of the ionically crosslinked network was triggered by the addition of EDTA, enabling the recovery of the alginate component. The SA-Anth hydrogel film integrates pH-responsive visual indication, antibacterial activity, favorable biocompatibility, infected-wound repair performance, and EDTA-assisted material recovery, providing a promising platform for intelligent wound-dressing applications.
It is demonstrated that the catechol-nanocellulose/chitosan polymeric hydrogel effectively overcomes adhesion, infection, and oxidative stress barriers in diabetic wound healing, making it a promising candidate for difficult-to-heal chronic ulcers.
TFe@SC hydrogel possesses some properties of antimicrobial dressings, such as high biosafety, adhesion to bacteria, and inhibition of bacterial proliferation with photothermal therapy (PTT).
Chenhui Ji, Zhongzhong Lu, Pengfei Chen et al.· International Journal of Bio...· 0 citations
Since the wound microenvironment dynamically changes during healing, responsive drug delivery and real-time monitoring of the wound status are critical for optimizing wound management. Therefore, a multifunctional hydrogel wound dressing (Cur-FCHO/CMCs/TK) was fabricated by integrating curcumin-loaded benzaldehyde-grafted Pluronic F127 micelles (Cur-FCHO), an ROS-responsive thioketal (TK), and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCs). The hydrogel exhibited pH/reactive oxygen species dual responsiveness through dynamic Schiff base bonds and TK units, enabling controlled Cur release in an acidic and high-ROS microenvironment of infected wounds. It showed excellent injectability, self-healing ability, and adaptability to irregular wound sites. Cur endowed the hydrogel with antibacterial, antioxidant, and pH-indicating functions. Combined with smartphone imaging, the hydrogel enabled visual monitoring and quantitative evaluation of the wound pH. In vitro experiments confirmed favorable biocompatibility and a cell migration-promoting ability. This hydrogel integrates wound healing promotion with pH monitoring, offering a new strategy for integrated wound repair.
Yufei Ling, Yuxuan Wang, Dingjue Gao et al.· Industrial & Engineering...· 0 citations
The management of chronic wounds represents one of the major challenges in regenerative medicine, as the healing process can be compromised by infections, oxidative stress, and persistent inflammation. In this context, wound pH serves as an important biomarker of tissue status, highlighting the need for smart dressings capable of promoting regeneration while simultaneously monitoring the wound microenvironment. In this study, biomimetic silk fibroin films functionalized with curcuminoids extracted from Curcuma longa were developed and characterized through spectroscopic, swelling/degradation, antioxidant, colorimetric, and biological assays, with the aim of obtaining a multifunctional dressing with regenerative properties and pH responsiveness. The results showed that curcuminoids were physically incorporated into the protein matrix without altering its chemical structure. The films exhibited a high absorption ability and antioxidant activity in the initial stages, and a clear and reversible color change in response to pH. Biological assays on 3T3 fibroblasts further confirmed the high cytocompatibility of the materials and their ability to support cell migration and wound closure in vitro. The developed films represent a promising biomimetic platform for advanced wound dressings, capable of combining support for tissue regeneration, antioxidant protection, and visual monitoring of wound status through the detection of pH changes.
Polyacrylic acid-based composites hold substantial promise for intelligent wound dressing applications, owing to their intrinsic hydrophilicity and pH responsiveness. Nevertheless, their clinical translation is hindered by insufficient mechanical properties and excessive adhesion, which are directly induced by high hydrophilicity. Herein, a dual-network Janus hydrogel based on polyacrylic acid (PAA) and sodium alginate (SA), denoted as tannic acid-iron nanoparticles@polyacrylic acid/sodium alginate (TA-Fe NPs@PS Janus), was rationally fabricated. This hydrogel incorporates self-assembled TA-Fe nanoparticles (TA-Fe NPs) with inherent antibacterial activity and magnetic responsiveness. Magnetic enrichment of nanoparticles at the bottom side of the hydrogel not only significantly enhances mechanical toughness via metal-phenolic network (MPN) but also renders the top and bottom layers with distinct intelligent responses to heterogeneous pH microenvironments, thus enabling effective antibiotic-free treatment of infected wounds. TA-Fe NPs@PS Janus integrates high mechanical toughness, sensing performance, and pH responsiveness, enabling monitoring of wound microenvironmental changes through combined responses to pH and ionic variations throughout the recovery process. The physicochemical, mechanical, and rheological properties of the hydrogel were systematically characterized, and in vitro antibacterial assessments were conducted. Results demonstrate that TA-Fe NPs significantly enhance hydrogel toughness: compared with the pristine PAA/SA hydrogel (PS), the composite hydrogel incorporating 0.3% (w/v) TA-Fe NPs exhibits a 1200% increase in tensile toughness (from 0.06 MJ m⁻³ to 0.78 MJ m⁻³). The hydrogel displays high sensitivity and undergoes reversible deformation and intelligent responsive behavior under cyclic pH changes. It not only exhibits high antibacterial efficacy but also demonstrates favorable cytocompatibility. Therefore, this study proposes a smart, stimuli-responsive multifunctional hydrogel dressing for treating chronic wound inflammation and monitoring the healing process, highlighting its potential for clinical applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Chronic infected wounds severely threaten human health, yet clinically viable smart wound dressings are lacking. Polyacrylic acid (PAA) hydrogels are attractive for wound management but suffer from poor mechanical toughness and over-adhesion. We fabricate a dual-network Janus hydrogel (TA-Fe NPs@PS Janus) incorporating PAA, sodium alginate and tannic acid-iron nanoparticles. Magnetically concentrated TA-Fe NPs form metal-phenolic networks, boosting toughness by 1044.2% and creating asymmetric pH responsiveness. This cytocompatible hydrogel achieves antibiotic-free antibacterial function and real-time infection monitoring via pH changes. It overcomes key drawbacks of PAA hydrogels, integrates diagnosis and therapy, and offers a translatable strategy for intelligent chronic wound dressings.
Qing-Che Pan, Xin-Wei Tao, Jianliang Li et al.· Acta Biomaterialia· 0 citations
