Enhanced cell proliferation by electrical stimulation based on electroactive regenerated bacterial cellulose hydrogels

• rBC/PPy/CNT hydrogel shows good thermal stability and swelling ability. • rBC/PPy/CNT hydrogel has excellent mechanical property and electrical conductivity. • rBC/PPy/CNT hydrogel exhibits biocompatibility and could promote cell proliferation. • Combination of rBC/PPy/CNT and EF could significantly enhance cell proliferation. Electric fields (EFs) have shown promising impact on wound healing, these alone are ineffective to stimulate the whole wound area. In this study, we developed a newly regenerated bacterial cellulose/polypyrrole/carbon nanotube (rBC/PPy/CNT) electroactive hydrogel through cellulose dissolution, and physical and chemical crosslinking method to enhance cell proliferation with EF for wound healing. The hydrogels were characterized with FESEM, FTIR, XRD, TGA, conductivity, mechanical, and swelling tests. The results showed that PPy and CNTs were successfully deposited in the rBC/PPy/CNT hydrogels, which exhibited excellent thermal stability, mechanical strength, recoverability, swelling ability, and demonstra-ted 10 7 fold higher electrical conductivity than rBC. In vitro analysis proved good biocompatibility of rBC/PPy/CNT whereon NIH3T3 cells proliferated evidently. Especially, the combination of EF with rBC/PPy/CNT significantly enhanced the cell proliferation as compared to rBC ( p < 0.05). The overall results suggest the promising potential of rBC/PPy/CNT combined with EF for enhancing cellular activities in wound healing.