A remotely triggered phase change hydrogel dressing for controlled release and promoting healing of infected wounds

Regarding the several antibacterial hydrogels that have been created thus far, their fixed forms and limited mobility hinder their ability to fully eradicate the germs that are still present deep within the wound and to satisfy the requirements of wound healing. Hence, a remotely triggered phase change hydrogel (CMCS/Gel/OGG/TA/Fe 3+ , CGO-TF) was created for controlled release and promoting healing of infected wounds. The CGO-TF has excellent mechanical, tissue adhesion, injectability, and reactive oxygen species scavenging capabilities (76.08 % ± 3.46 %). Importantly, the hydrogel can remotely trigger morphological phase transition and TA ’on–off’ release when driven by NIR. To be specific, after exposure to NIR for 10 min, the hydrogel can undergo a “solid-liquid” phase transition to fill deep wound tissue gaps or irregular wounds; the controlled release of TA can be remotely triggered to work in tandem with the hydrogel’s photothermal response to create an efficient bacteriostatic effect that can stop the growth of MDRB. For the treatment of infected skin injury in mice, the hydrogel can promote wound healing by removing wound bacteria (99.88 % ± 0.08 %), activating M2-type macrophage polarization, stimulating vascular neogenesis, and accelerating granulation tissue proliferation (928.2 μm ± 74.71 μm). In conclusion, CGO-TF is a promising medical biomaterial.