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.