An injectable photopolymerized hydrogel with antimicrobial and biocompatible properties for infected skin regeneration

Abstract Currently, wound infection is an important health problem for the public. Wound infection can not only hinder healing but it can also lead to serious complications. Injectable wound dressings with biocompatible and antibacterial properties can promote wound healing during skin infections and reduce antibiotic use. Here, we used glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) to modify ε-polylysine (ε-PL) and γ-poly(glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) to produce ε-polylysine-glycidyl methacrylate (ε-PL-GMA) and γ-poly(glutamic acid)-glycidyl methacrylate (γ-PGA-GMA). Subsequently, ε-PL-GMA- and γ-PGA-GMA-based hydrogels were developed through photopolymerization using visible light. The hydrogels were injectable, could rapidly gelatinize, were biocompatible, and showed a wide spectrum of antibacterial activity. The hydrogels also promoted wound healing. The results show that these hydrogels inhibit bacterial infection and shorten the wound healing time of skin defects in Staphylococcus aureus models. This demonstrates that the hydrogels hold potential for clinical antimicrobial and wound healing therapy.