Adaptive Chlorella-loaded hydrogel dressing with oxygen production and antibacterial capacity for enhanced wound healing

Preventing infection, improving oxygenation and enabling automated coverage of irregularly shaped wounds are the critical factors for ensuring the efficacy of wound dressings. Traditional wound dressings often fail to meet the diverse and complex demands throughout the wound healing process due to insufficient mechanical strength and limited functionality. Herein, we constructed a multifunctional hydrogel dressing (CPA) utilizing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and collagen (COL) as matrix, incorporated Chlorella and ampicillin (AMP) to confer the hydrogel with oxygen-supplying and antibacterial capabilities. Owing to the existence of borate ester bond, CPA hydrogel demonstrated superior mechanical properties, remarkable self-healing capabilities, and shape adaptability. The hydrogel exhibited efficient hemostatic capability, favorable hemocompatibility and cell compatibility. In vivo evaluation further demonstrated the hydrogel’s efficacy in significantly promoting collagen deposition, thereby accelerating wound healing. These findings collectively highlight the CPA hydrogel's efficacy and underscore its potential for application in the management of irregular, hypoxic, and infected wounds. Download: Download high-res image (167KB) Download: Download full-size image