Synthesis and evaluation of water-soluble imidazolium salt chitin with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and excellent biocompatibility for infected wound healing

Infections caused by bacteria have long constituted a major threat to human health and the economy. Therefore, there is an urgent need to design broad-spectrum antibacterial materials possessing good biocompatibility to treat such infections. Herein, inspired by the good biocompatibility of chitin and antibacterial properties of imidazolium salts, a polysaccharide-based material, imidazolium salt chitin (IMSC), was homogeneously prepared using a facile method with epichlorohydrin as a chemical crosslinker to combine chitin with imidazole to enhance Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)-infected wound healing. The characteristics, antimicrobial properties, and biosafety of IMSC were evaluated. The results demonstrated successful grafting of imidazole onto chitin. Furthermore, IMSC exhibited good water solubility, broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, hemocompatibility, and biocompatibility. Moreover, IMSC enabled complete healing of S. aureus-infected wound in Sprague-Dawley rats within 15 days of application, thus demonstrating that IMSC could reduce wound inflammation and remarkably accelerate wound healing owing to its efficient antibacterial activity and ability to promote collagen deposition in and around the wound area. Therefore, this study provides a promising and potential therapeutic strategy for infected wound healing by synthesizing a water-soluble and broad-spectrum antimicrobial material exhibiting good biocompatibility.