Engineered bioadhesive Self-Healing nanocomposite hydrogel to fight infection and accelerate cutaneous wound healing

The emergence of multifunctional wound dressings for cutaneous tissue injuries represents a paradigm shift in wound care, offering advanced solutions that transcend traditional wound protection. Inspired by the recent advances in nano-reinforcement and mussel-inspired chemistry, an innovative bioadhesive self-healing hydrogel was developed using dopamine-grafted oxidized sodium alginate/gelatin containing Myrtus communis L. extract@ZIF-8 NPs (MC@ZIF-8/DA-OSA/Gel) through dual cross-linking. The resulting optimized hydrogel demonstrated good physicochemical, and hemostatic properties, rapid self-repair, and firm adhesion to tissues. In vitro analysis confirmed excellent cytocompatibility and adhesion in cultured fibroblasts. Notably, the incorporation of MC@ZIF-8 NPs into hydrogel enhanced antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Applying the engineered hydrogel at the injury site significantly accelerated the healing process in a mouse model of cutaneous wound injury, as evident in increased cutaneous tissue thickness and improved collagen disposition. Moreover, the local increase of CD31 cells and COL1A strands indicated enhanced vascularization, and fibroblast proliferation compared to the other groups. Overall, our results demonstrate the potential efficacy of the engineered system as an advanced wound-covering material, suggesting it could be effective for treating various forms of acute and chronic wounds as well.