Lei Yujie, Wang Shilei, Liu Qian, Zeng Duan, Wang Kexing, Chang Cong, Zhang Baohui, Zhang Lin, Shi Zhaohua, Meng Yan
School of Pharmacy, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China.
Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine-Resource and Compound Prescription, Ministry of Education, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, China.
Carbohydr Polym. 2025 Jun 15;358:123500. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2025.123500. Epub 2025 Mar 12.
Oriented hydrogels have been recognized for their ability to promote cell proliferation and enhance wound repair. Chitosan, valued for its biocompatibility and biodegradability, is widely used in hydrogel preparation. However, chitosan derived from Periostracum Cicadae ("Chantui") has not been explored for creating antibacterial-oriented hydrogels. In this study, we successfully developed a Periostracum Cicadae chitosan-based oriented hydrogel (O-CH) using an electro-assembly method. The O-CH hydrogel exhibited superior hemostatic performance and mechanical strength, with stress levels 7.6 times higher than those of traditional alkali-neutralized hydrogels. Subsequently, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were formed in situ on the O-CH hydrogel without the need for additional reducing agents or stabilizers, yielding O-CH@Ag20, which exhibited excellent biocompatibility and enhanced antibacterial properties. In an S. aureus-infected full-thickness rat skin defect model, O-CH@Ag20 reduced bacterial counts at the wound site by 6-fold compared to the gauze group on day 3 and achieved a 97 % wound healing rate by day 10, versus 75 % in the gauze group. Histological analysis revealed that O-CH@Ag20 regulated angiogenesis, collagen deposition, and fibroblast differentiation into myofibroblasts, thereby accelerating wound contraction during remodeling. This study presents a novel approach to addressing clinical challenges in infected wound healing using Periostracum Cicadae chitosan-based antibacterial hydrogels.
取向水凝胶因其促进细胞增殖和增强伤口修复的能力而受到认可。壳聚糖因其生物相容性和可生物降解性而受到重视，被广泛用于水凝胶制备。然而，蝉蜕来源的壳聚糖尚未被用于制备具有抗菌性能的取向水凝胶。在本研究中，我们通过电组装法成功开发了一种基于蝉蜕壳聚糖的取向水凝胶（O-CH）。O-CH水凝胶表现出优异的止血性能和机械强度，其应力水平比传统碱中和水凝胶高7.6倍。随后，无需额外的还原剂或稳定剂，银纳米颗粒（AgNPs）在O-CH水凝胶上原位形成，得到O-CH@Ag20，其表现出优异的生物相容性和增强的抗菌性能。在金黄色葡萄球菌感染的大鼠全层皮肤缺损模型中，与纱布组相比，O-CH@Ag20在第3天将伤口部位的细菌数量减少了6倍，到第10天伤口愈合率达到97%，而纱布组为75%。组织学分析表明，O-CH@Ag20调节血管生成、胶原蛋白沉积和成纤维细胞向肌成纤维细胞的分化，从而在重塑过程中加速伤口收缩。本研究提出了一种新的方法，利用基于蝉蜕壳聚糖的抗菌水凝胶应对感染伤口愈合中的临床挑战。
