A dual-network hydrogel technology integrating suture-like sealing, photothermal antibacterial activity and immune reprogramming for drug-resistant wound repair

Background Drug-resistant, infection-associated wounds remain difficult to heal because persistent inflammation, oxidative stress, and biofilm formation disrupt the repair microenvironment, and current dressings often lack both mechanical adaptability and active antibacterial-regenerative functions. Technology This study introduces a structure–function synergistic engineering strategy to construct a near-infrared (NIR)-responsive multifunctional hydrogel for infected wound repair. Rather than simply integrating multiple functional components, the strategy employs a dual-crosslinked network in which a boronic ester covalent network provides structural stability, while dynamic polydopamine (PDA)–Fe 3+ coordination simultaneously functions as a flexible molecular bridge, photothermal transducer and immunomodulatory interface. This rational network coupling enables the coordinated integration of mechanical adaptability, antibacterial activity and immune microenvironment regulation within a single hydrogel platform, overcoming the trade-off between structural robustness and biological functionality commonly encountered in multifunctional wound dressings. Results The engineered hydrogel exhibited excellent mechanical robustness, tissue adhesion, self-healing ability, antioxidant activity and electrical conductivity. Under NIR irradiation, FCPBA-EPL/PVA/PDA-Fe³⁺ dual-crosslinked hydrogel (FPP) inhibited Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by 98.06% in vitro and suppressed biofilm formation. In a rat infected full-thickness wound model, FPP + NIR accelerated closure, achieving complete wound closure by day 14, with denser collagen deposition and reduced inflammation. The hydrogel also showed good hemocompatibility and supported fibroblast migration and proliferation.