Near-infrared light-responsive nanocomposite hydrogels loaded with epidermal growth factor for diabetic wound healing

In diabetic wounds, the presence of hyperglycemia is often accompanied by a persistent inflammatory response, oxidative stress damage, impaired angiogenesis and bacterial infections around the wound, resulting in impaired proliferation of dermal and epidermal cells and impaired skin regeneration in diabetic wounds. To solve the above problems, this study designed a near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive multifunctional poloxamer hydrogel (EGF/PDA-MXene Gel). The Gel is composed of two-dimensional nanomaterials (2D NMs) MXene as the core, modified by polymer, further loaded with epidermal growth factor (EGF), and has antibacterial, antioxidant, photothermal properties. Meanwhile, EGF/PDA-MXene Gel can be used as a drug repository, alleviating the problem of short half-life, and realizing the sustained release of EGF. The NIR photothermal property induces protein denaturation leading to the death of pathogenic bacteria, avoiding the common clinical problem of antibiotic resistance. In addition, EGF/PDA-MXene Gel promotes diabetic chronic wound healing by promoting epidermal regeneration, collagen deposition, angiogenesis, and several other mechanisms. Therefore, the Gel preparation strategies that combine bioactive molecules with 2D NMs, which maintains the activity of EGF while exploiting the antimicrobial advantages of 2D NMs photothermally, provide a new and promising therapeutic approach for accelerating the repair of chronic infected wounds. The highlights of the paper are listed as below. · MXene combines with epidermal growth factor for efficient drug loading. · Enhanced antimicrobial activity of hydrogels through photothermal synergy. · Hydrogel localized slow-release drug delivery combined with near infrared. · Multifunctional hydrogels provide a new strategy for diabetic wound healing.