Promoting the healing of infected diabetic wound by nanozyme-containing hydrogel with anti-bacterial inflammation suppressing, ROS-scavenging and oxygen-generating properties

Abstract

Bacterial infections already pose a significant threat to skin wounds, especially in diabetic patients who have difficulty healing wounds. However, wound or bacterial infections are known to produce excess reactive oxygen species (ROS), and hypoxia may further hinder wound healing and the development of chronic wounds. In this study, a multifunctional hydrogel for ROS scavenging and bacterial inhibition was developed by cross-linking polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium alginate (SA) with graphene oxide (GO) loaded with silver-platinum hybrid nanoparticles (GO@Ag-Pt). The PVA/SA hydrogel loaded with GO@Ag-Pt exhibited the ability to scavenge different types of ROS, generate O₂, and kill a broad spectrum of bacteria in vitro. The silver-platinum hybrid nanoparticles significantly increased the antibacterial ability against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus compared with silver nanoparticles (AgNps). GO@Ag-Pt loaded hydrogel was effective in treating infections caused by S.aureus, thereby significantly promoting wound healing during the inflammatory phase. Hydrogel therapy significantly reduced the level of ROS and alleviated inflammation levels. Notably, our ROS-scavenging, antibacterial hydrogels can be used to effectively treat various types of wounds, including difficult-to-heal diabetic wounds with bacterial infections. Thus, this study proposes an effective strategy for various chronic wound healing based on ROS clearance and bacteriostatic hydrogels.