Cell/Tissue Adhesive, Self-Healable, Biocompatible, Hemostasis, and Antibacterial Hydrogel Dressings for Wound Healing Applications

Integrating multifunctional properties (physiological and biological) within a hydrogel poses a great challenge in wound dressing applications. The present study develops cell/tissue adhesive, hemostasis, self-healing, and antibacterial properties of hydrogel wound dressings composed of polydopamine-quaternized hydroxyethyl cellulose-polyacrylamide (PDA-QHEC-PAM) using mussel-inspired chemistry. The hydrogel is obtained by the prepolymerization of dopamine (DA) in a QHEC solution subsequently radical polymerization during the formation of covalently cross-linked PAM chains. The QHEC-PDA-PAM hydrogels have a good swelling ratio, and biodegradable properties. The hydrogel exhibits tissue-adhesive behavior, e.g., the strength of hydrogel adhesion to porcine skin is 29.3 +/- 1.2 kPa. The incorporation of PDA-QHEC in a covalent cross-linked PAM network exhibits good mechanical properties. For example, the QHEC-0.4PDA-PAM hydrogel exhibits a tensile strength of 55.7 kPa with high stretchability (1828%) and a compressive strength of 36.3 kPa at 80% strain. The hydrogel also shows good self-recovery and self-healing properties. The hydrogels also maintain highly interconnected porous structures and PDA microfibrils, significantly enhancing the cell proliferation, attachment, and spreading of keratinocyte and skin fibroblasts cells. Moreover, both QHEC and PDA chains exhibit rapid blood coagulation and antibacterial property toward Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Hence, the synthesized hydrogel with multiple properties has great potential for wound dressing applications.