Ag/MoS2 Nanozyme Hydrogel Dressing with Adhesion and Self-Healing Properties for Antibacterial Applications

Although considerable efforts have been devoted to this endeavor, bacterial infections and contamination of medical device surfaces and biointerfaces remain a challenge. Herein, we constructed an Ag/MoS2 nanozyme-modified hydrogel (Ag-HG) dressing with enhanced adhesion and self-healing. Ag-HG showed remarkable antibacterial effects against E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The Ag-HG dressing exhibited antibacterial properties with antibacterial efficacies of 72.6% and 72.7% against E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Moreover, this dressing disabled bacteria more efficiently with the assistance of H2O2, reaching antibacterial efficacies of 99.99% and 99.92%, respectively. Multiple modes of antimicrobial action appeared to act synergistically to inhibit microbial growth in the hydrogel dressing. Ag-HG generated reactive oxygen species to damage bacteria and trapped and confined them owing to its porous structure. The synergistic antibacterial effect of the two aspects enhanced the sterilization performance. In vivo experiments showed that the Ag-HG dressing could effectively treat skin surface wounds and accelerate wound healing. The biocompatibility of the Ag-HG dressing was verified using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. In summary, adhesion-enhanced self-healing nanozyme-modified hydrogel dressing with synergistically antibacterial activity is a promising candidate for applications that require biocompatible and antimicrobial surfaces.