Synergistic antioxidant and antibacterial hydrogel for accelerated wound healing through ROS scavenging and pathogen elimination.
Wound management remains a significant clinical challenge due to bacterial infection, oxidative stress, and inflammation. To address these issues, we developed a multifunctional hydrogel, NO-GM/Fle@FD, by combining gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA), Pluronic F127 diacrylate (F127DA), the nitric oxide (NO) donor S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), and the antibiotic fleroxacin (Fle). The hydrogel allows rapid photopolymerization under 405 nm light, forming a robust network with controlled NO release and localized antibiotic delivery. In infected murine wound model, NO-GM/Fle@FD accelerated wound closure through three mechanisms: (1) infection suppression via fleroxacin-mediated bactericidal activity, (2) ROS scavenging to reduce oxidative damage, and (3) inflammatory modulation through sustained NO release. Histological analysis revealed complete re-epithelialization by day 10, reduced inflammation, and enhanced collagen deposition in the NO-GM/Fle@FD group. Immunofluorescence showed decreased IL-1β (pro-inflammatory) and increased IL-10 (anti-inflammatory), confirming the hydrogel's ability to resolve inflammation and counteract oxidative stress. This study demonstrates that NO-GM/Fle@FD effectively targets the infection-oxidative stress-inflammation triad, providing a promising therapeutic solution for treating infectious wounds, diabetic ulcers, burns, and other chronic complex wounds.
Authors
Xu Xu, Wang Wang, Liu Liu, Wang Wang, Wu Wu, Liu Liu, Cai Cai, Liu Liu, Tan Tan
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