Eggshell membrane powder reinforces adhesive polysaccharide hydrogels for wound repair

Multifunctional polysaccharide hydrogels with strong tissue adhesion, and antimicrobial and hemostatic properties are attractive wound healing materials. In this study, a chitosan-based hydrogel (HCS) was designed, and its properties were enhanced by incorporating oxidized eggshell membrane (OEM). Hydrogel characterization and testing results showed that the hydrogel had excellent antimicrobial properties, cytocompatibility, satisfactory adhesion properties on common substrates, and wet-state adhesion capacity. A rat liver injury model confirmed the significant hemostatic effect of the hydrogel. Finally, the ability of the hydrogel to promote wound healing was verified using rat skin wound repair experiments. Our findings indicate that HCS/OEM hydrogels with added eggshell membrane fibers have better self-healing properties, mechanical strength, adhesion, hemostatic properties, and biocompatibility than HCS hydrogels, in addition to having superior repair performance in wound repair experiments. Overall, the multifunctional polysaccharide hydrogels fabricated in this study are ideal for wound repair.