An Antibacterial and Electroactive Chitosan‐Based Dressing with Dual Stimulus‐Responsive Drug Delivery for Wound Healing

ABSTRACT Persistent bacterial infections remain a major challenge in wound management. Although drug‐loaded wound dressings have gained increasing attention, their therapeutic efficacy is often hindered by uncontrolled drug release and a lack of electrical signal responsiveness. Herein, an antibacterial dressing (CCS‐PC) with electroactivity and stimulus‐responsive drug release properties was fabricated via electro‐assembly, wherein chitosan and ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (CIP) were co‐deposited onto polypyrrole (PPy)‐coated gauze. The PPy coating endows CCS‐PC with excellent electroactivity to restore endogenous electric fields. Notably, benefiting from the pH‐responsiveness of chitosan and the positive charge of CIP, CCS‐PC exhibits dual‐stimuli (pH/voltage) responsive drug release behavior. In vitro studies demonstrate that CCS‐PC possesses excellent cytocompatibility, blood compatibility, and hemostatic ability. More importantly, it shows significant inhibitory effects against both E. coli and S. aureus . In a rat bacterial‐infected full‐thickness skin wound model, CCS‐PC accelerates wound healing by drug release responsive to acidic microenvironments and by restoration of endogenous electric fields, particularly in the early stages. Overall, CCS‐PC holds promising clinical potential as a material for treating infected wounds.