Novel Metal-Doped Rutin-Derived Carbon Dots in Injectable Hydrogel for Enhanced ROS Scavenging and Antibacterial Effects in Wound Healing

Wound healing is often impeded by bacterial infections, excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), and inflammatory responses, challenges that traditional dressings inadequately address. Rutin, a natural flavonoid recognized for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, is limited in biomedical applications because of its low solubility in water. This research presents a novel approach using nitrogen and zinc-doped rutin-derived carbon dots (ZR-CDs), which enhances both antioxidant activity and bioavailability by leveraging the nanoscale properties and surface modifiability of carbon dots. The ZR‑CDs are covalently integrated into an oxidized hyaluronic acid (OHA)/Pluronic F‑127 hydrogel through Schiff‑base chemistry, yielding an injectable, shape‑adaptive composite hydrogel (ZCD@OF), aimed at promoting the healing of infected wounds. In vitro, ZR-CDs exhibit excellent biocompatibility, free-radical scavenging, and protection against ROS-induced cellular dysfunction. The ZCD@OF hydrogel exhibited robust antibacterial efficacy while maintaining favorable rheological properties for wound coverage. In vivo on an infected wound model, ZCD@OF significantly accelerates wound closure, promotes angiogenesis and collagen deposition, and suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α). This study highlights the therapeutic potential of ZCD@OF hydrogel in complex wound treatment, illustrating its capacity to synergistically integrate carbon dot with advanced biomaterial strategies for improved therapeutic outcomes.