Fabrication and Properties of Hydrogel Dressings Based on Genipin Crosslinked Chondroitin Sulfate and Chitosan

Multifunctional hydrogel dressings remain highly sought after for the promotion of skin wound regeneration. In the present study, multifunctional CHS-DA/HACC (CH) hydrogels with an interpenetrated network were constructed using hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride modified chitosan (HACC) and dopamine-modified chondroitin sulfate (CHS-DA), using genipin as crosslinker. The synthesis of HACC and CHS-DA was effectively confirmed using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopy. The prepared CH hydrogels exhibited a network of interconnected pores within the microstructure. Furthermore, rheological testing demonstrated that CH hydrogels exhibited strong mechanical properties, stability, and injectability. Further characterization investigations showed that the CH hydrogels showed favorable self-healing and self-adhesion properties. It was also shown that increasing HACC concentration ratio was positively correlated with the antibacterial activity of CH hydrogels, as evidenced by their resistance to <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. Additionally, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) tests, fluorescent images, and a cell scratch assay demonstrated that CH hydrogels had good biocompatibility and cell migration ability. The multifunctional interpenetrated network hydrogels were shown to have good antibacterial properties, antioxidant properties, stable storage modulus and loss modulus, injectable properties, self-healing properties, and biocompatibility, highlighting their potential as wound dressings in wound healing applications.