Temporally Programmed Multifunctional Hydrogel Dressings for Optimized Wound Healing and Symptom Relief

ABSTRACT Hydrogel dressings for wound management need to deliver multiple functions, such as wet adhesion, antibacterial and anti‐inflammatory effects, healing, and pain relief. Integrating these functionalities to fabricate multifunctional dressings has become a major research focus. However, most existing studies concentrate primarily on combining these features without considering the activation sequence or duration of each function, which can inadvertently prolong patients’ unpleasant symptoms. Properly sequencing and controllably activating these functionalities is essential to enhance patient comfort and ensure more effective wound care. Herein, we report a concept hydrogel dressing with time‐dependent multilevel functions for effective wound management. The hydrogel matrix is based on gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) with mussel‐inspired phenolic groups forming a wet adhesive system. This material can adhere to irregular wounds and complex, blood‐containing surfaces within 10 s, fulfilling the essential adhesion function. After bonding, the hydrogel system initiated the release of the analgesic lidocaine quickly. Meanwhile, maintaining strong adhesion and local analgesic effects, the antibacterial and anti‐inflammatory agent costunolide (Cstl), encapsulated in liposomes is gradually released. This novel concept to effectively schedule different functionalities over time according to wound management and comfort needs offers a valuable design route for developing smart wound dressing materials.