Abstract:
To design a multifunctional composite hydrogel wound dressing, hyaluronic acid was first used as the raw material to prepare oxidized hyaluronic acid (OHA) via oxidation in this study. Subsequently, OHA and carboxyl methyl cellulose (CMC) were employed as the main matrix materials, and the OHA-CMC hydrogel was fabricated through borax-mediated cross-linking. Finally, silver acetate, gentamicin (GM), and aloin were incorporated into the hydrogel matrix to obtain the drug-loaded OHA-CMC hydrogel. The structure, micro-morphology, and mechanical properties of the OHA-CMC hydrogel were analyzed using FTIR,
1H-NMR, SEM, and other characterization techniques.The results demonstrate that the OHA-CMC hydrogel exhibits excellent mechanical properties, stability, self-healing ability, and biocompatibility. Scanning electron microscopy images reveal that it has a uniform microporous network structure. The drug-loaded OHA-CMC hydrogel achieves antibacterial rates of 97.9% against
Escherichia coli and 99.9% against
Staphylococcus aureus, showcasing significant antibacterial activity. Additionally, it effectively downregulates the expression of inflammatory cytokines including IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, and TNF-α, with reduction rates of 35.50%, 82.43%, 45.77%, and 62.66%, respectively, indicating strong anti-inflammatory performance. Cell scratch assays further confirm that the OHA-CMC hydrogel promotes wound healing by enhancing scratch closure.