Ionic liquid functionalized non-releasing antibacterial hydrogel dressing coupled with electrical stimulation for the promotion of diabetic wound healing

Chronic wounds are more difficult to be cured than the general wounds, particularly for the wounds of diabetic patients. It also increases the risk of bacterial infections and may cause other serious complications. Electrical stimulation (ES) can promote the healing of wounds efficiently. However, single electrode-based ES strategy is difficult to cover the entire part of the wounded area that may cause unsatisfactory treatment efficiency. We herein reported a multifunctional and conductive hydrogel dressing developed based on the polymerized ionic liquid and konjac glucomannan (KGM). It was found that this newly developed hydrogel dressing not only possesses excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility but also provides a durable and efficient sterilization effect without releasing antibacterial factors. With the enhancement of current electrical stimulation by using this hydrogel dressing, the migration and proliferation of fibroblast cells and the treatment effect towards diabetic skin wounds were significantly improved. The polymerized and ionic liquid functionalized KGM hydrogel dressing coupled with ES may be able to provide a novel strategy for treating chronic wounds efficiently.