Carrageenan-tangerine peel composite hydrogel for full-thickness skin defect repair

Scheme 1. Schematic diagram of green carrageenan-tangerine peel hydrogel used to repair full-thickness skin defects. • A bioactive hydrogel was developed from carrageenan and tangerine peel. • The hydrogel shows antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and improved strength. • It promotes fibroblast growth and accelerates full-thickness wound healing. • A safe and sustainable strategy for wound repair materials is proposed. Full-thickness skin defects caused by severe burns or trauma remain a major clinical challenge due to impaired self-healing and high infection risk. In this study, a bioactive composite hydrogel based on carrageenan and tangerine peel was developed as a safe, cross-linker-free wound dressing. Carrageenan provided a stable three-dimensional network, while tangerine peel endowed the hydrogel with antibacterial properties. The composite hydrogel exhibited enhanced mechanical strength, a more uniform porous structure, and improved stability compared with carrageenan alone. In vitro assays demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and significantly promoted fibroblast proliferation and adhesion. Moreover, the hydrogel showed effective antibacterial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli . In vivo studies further confirmed that the hydrogel markedly accelerated wound closure, enhanced collagen deposition, and promoted epithelial regeneration in full-thickness skin defects. This study presents a simple and effective strategy for constructing multifunctional hydrogels, highlighting their promising potential in wound healing and skin tissue engineering.