Multiple crosslinked, self-healing, and shape-adaptable hydrogel laden with pain-relieving chitosan@borneol nanoparticles for infected burn wound healing

<i>Rationale:</i> Next-generation wound dressings with multiple biological functions hold promise for addressing the complications and pain associated with burn wounds. <i>Methods:</i> A hydrogel wound dressing loaded with a pain-relieving drug was developed for treating infected burn wounds. Polyvinyl alcohol chemically grafted with gallic acid (PVA-GA), sodium alginate chemically grafted with 3-aminobenzeneboronic acid (SA-PBA), Zn²⁺, and chitosan-coated borneol nanoparticles with anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving activities were combined to afford a nanoparticle-loaded hydrogel with a PVA-GA/Zn²⁺/SA-PBA network crosslinked via multiple physicochemical interactions. <i>Results:</i> The developed hydrogel demonstrated adhesiveness, self-healing, shape adaptability, injectability, degradability, conformity to complicated wound surfaces, and other desirable biological functions, including a pH-responsive drug release behavior and antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and proangiogenic activities. In a murine scald wound model, the hydrogel effectively prevented infection by <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and downregulated pain perception (measured using mouse grimace scale scores and hind paw lifting and licking times), thereby accelerating wound healing. <i>Conclusion:</i> This study provides broad prospects for the development of new hydrogel systems that can substantially improve the dynamic management of infected burn wounds.