Polyphenol-mediated biomimetic mineralization of sacrificial metal-organic framework nanoparticles for wound healing

Mineralization is a natural process that constructs intricate structures at diverse interfaces, but with poor controllability. Herein, we present an alternative strategy for dynamic control of nano-scale mineralization processes and the subsequent construction of an all-in-one healing agent to meet the requirements of wound healing with complex physiological processes. The key point is the reversible metal-polyphenol coordination, where polyphenol acts as a capping agent to stabilize the mineralized precursor solution. Upon combination with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that can competitively capture polyphenol from solution to disrupt the balance of stabilized precursors, the released mineral ions result in fast mineralization on MOF surface. The mineralized metal-phenolic frameworks feature plug-and-play properties. After being loaded into a gelatin-chitosan hydrogel, the composite hydrogel exhibits antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects while promoting angiogenesis, collagen deposition, and hair follicle regeneration. The mineralization strategy could also be applied to thin film technology for a range of applications.