A Multifunctional Hydrogel for Infected Chronic Wounds Management: Integrated pH Sensing, Photothermal Therapy, and Ion Release

Chronic wound healing is often compromised by bacterial infection, and wound pH changes strongly correlate with infection. Therefore, the development of wound dressings capable of real-time pH monitoring, antimicrobial activity, and tissue repair is crucial for the effective management of infected chronic wounds. This study reports a novel multifunctional composite hydrogel (GM-C-mBG@P) synthesized by incorporating microwave-synthesized carbon quantum dots (CQDs) and polydopamine-modified mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (mBG@P) into modified gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA). The incorporated polydopamine (PDA) confers excellent photothermal properties to the hydrogel, enabling effective antimicrobial activity. Under 360 nm UV excitation, the fluorescence intensity of CQDs in GM-C-mBG@P exhibits a strong linear correlation with pH, enabling real-time wound pH monitoring. Furthermore, mBG@P can gradually dissolve calcium, silicon, boron, and other functional ions to enhance the bioactivity and functionality of the hydrogel and accelerate wound healing. These findings suggest that the GM-C-mBG@P hydrogel has the potential to serve as a promising wound dressing for the treatment of infected chronic wounds.