Five-In-One Hydrogel Integrating Bacteriostasis, Self-Healing Capability, Growth Factor Release, Electrical Stimulation, and Photothermal Stimulation Tailored for Complex Wound Repair

Complex wound management remains a significant global challenge, and the development of multifunctional wound dressings that can effectively promote wound healing remains an urgent clinical need. Herein, a kind of multifunctional hydrogel wound dressing that combines bacteriostasis, self-healing capability, growth factor release, electrical stimulation, and photothermal stimulation is developed. This kind of wound dressing is generated by adding protocatechualdehyde (protocatechuic aldehyde (PA)), short core-shell fibers loading with platelet-rich-plasma (platelet-rich plasma fibers), and polydopamine-coated carbon nanotubes (PDA@CNTs) into quaternary ammonium chitosan (QCS) solution to form a shear-reversibly cross-linked QCS/PA/PDA@CNTs-PRP hydrogel. The obtained hydrogels possess impressive properties, including high swelling capacity (445-852%), strong adhesion ability (16.4-36.7 kPa), self-healing ability, injectability, conductivity (0.24-0.46 S/m), and photothermal properties. Notably, under near-infrared irradiation, the hydrogel exhibits a highly efficient bactericidal activity. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the hydrogel exhibits excellent biocompatibility and anti-inflammatory capability as well as its ability to stimulate cell proliferation, migration, and tubule formation. Moreover, the in vivo studies further confirmed that with the additional assistance of near-infrared light and electrical stimulation, the hydrogel further promotes wound epithelization, angiogenesis, and collagen deposition. Consequently, this hydrogel provides a promising therapeutic strategy for complex wound healing.