Carboxymethyl chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate hydrogels incorporating Fe3+/curcumin/tannic acid self-assembled nanocomplex with self-healing, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties.

Abstract

Hydrogels, due to their excellent properties, were widely noted and held great potential for application in wound healing. However, conventional wound dressings are limited by insufficient antioxidant and antibacterial properties, which restricted their effectiveness in treating infected wounds. In this study, a multifunctional hydrogel (PCS/Cur@Fe&TA) was fabricated from carboxymethyl chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol, and sodium alginate via a freeze-thaw cycle method to evaluate its potential as a wound dressing. The hydrogel incorporated nanocomplex composed of curcumin, tannic acid, and Fe3+, which endowed the material with enhanced antioxidant and antibacterial properties. The resulting hydrogel exhibited excellent swelling capacity (400-800%) and water holding capacity (>62%), and a good degradation rate, enabling it to maintain a moist microenvironment conducive to wound healing. Moreover, after hydrogel treatment, the cell viability remained >80%, >99% hemocompatibility (hemolysis rate < 1%), and significantly enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities (P < 0.05). The hydrogel showed marked antibacterial activity, with inhibition zones of 1.03 cm against E. coli and 0.61 cm against S. aureus. Overall, the developed hydrogel exhibits considerable promise as a therapeutic material for accelerating wound healing.