One-Pot Preparation of Polysaccharide-Based Antibacterial Hydrogel for Skin Wound Repair

Polysaccharide hydrogels are widely applied as wound dressings for skin wound repair due to their good biocompatibility and ability to regulate microenvironments. However, hydrogel application can result in skin wetting that can easily cause wound infections. Herein, a polysaccharide-based antibacterial hydrogel that can promote skin wound repair is prepared by a one-pot method. In this study, tannic acid (TA) is oxidized and cross-linked with carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) through a Schiff base reaction to form the macromolecule CMCS-TA. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) cross-links more easily with CMCS-TA than CMCS when utilizing the cross-linking agent carbondiimide hydrochloride (EDC). EDC has no cytotoxicity after hydrolysis and the hydrogel prepared by EDC cross-linking has a low swelling rate. Due to the in situ reduction of Ag particles, the CMC/CMCS-TA/Ag hydrogel exhibits good antibacterial properties against E. coli and S. aureus. Cytocompatibility tests and histological analysis indicate that the antibacterial hydrogel has good biocompatibility and can promote wound repair in a rat infection model. Therefore, the polysaccharide-based hydrogel can be a promising wound dressing for skin wound repair.