Physically crosslinked cellulose nanofiber hydrogel with enhanced antibacterial properties for wound repair

Hydrogels are unique biomaterials that have become vital for refractory wound healing. However, integrating facile, sustainable and crosslinker/initiator minimized synthesis processes while ensuring the hydrogels retain their mechanical integrity, and critical wound-healing functionalities is extremely challenging. In this study, we elaborately fabricated a cellulose nanofiber-reinforced (CNF) gelatin hydrogel assisted by curcumin modified nanoparticles (curAg) using a simple, yet effective strategy that utilizes the synergetic effects of coordinate covalent bonds, electrostatic interactions, and hydrogen bonds. Notably, the CurAg@G-CNF hydrogel exhibited remarkable mechanical strength (compressive strength, 119 kPa) and the interconnected microporous system that endowed the hydrogels with notable degradation rate (>70%) and swelling ratio of up to 1084%. Moreover, the CurAg@G-CNF hydrogel exhibited excellent cytocompatibility (cell viability >90%), hemocompatibility (hemolytic ratio < 5%), water retention (>90%), and noteworthy antibacterial properties. In-vivo wound healing analysis on a mouse skin wound model also demonstrated the distinctive ability of the CurAg@G-CNF hydrogel to improve wound closure which was evidenced by high upregulation of collagen aggregation, and vascularization, and epithelium regeneration. Overall, these multifaceted findings paves a way for the fabrication of natural bioresources-based materials for wound healing.