A tea polyphenol-loaded cellulose/silk fibroin/polyacrylic acid hydrogel for wound healing

Hydrogels can relieve wound pain and provide a moist environment for wound healing. Although hydrogels based on natural materials have proven to be biocompatible and biodegradable, their antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties are not desirable. Natural extracts with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties are becoming increasingly attractive because of their environmentally friendly nature and good biocompatibility. Herein, composite cellulose/silk fibroin/polyacrylic acid hydrogels based on natural materials were fabricated by crosslinking between oxidized cellulose and silk fibroin together with radical polymerization of acrylic acid. The fabricated hydrogels displayed a uniform hierarchical topography with high porosity, as well as good mechanical properties, swelling properties, air permeability and biocompatibility. With the addition of tea polyphenols to natural extracts, the composite hydrogels exhibited significant antimicrobial and antioxidant properties such that they could prevent bacterial infection and relieve wound inflammation in the inflammation stage and could promote the synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM), angiogenesis, collagenization and re-epithelization during wound healing. The tea polyphenols/cellulose/silk fibroin/polyacrylic acid hydrogels fabricated in this study can accelerate wound healing, demonstrating their great potential for application in wound dressings.