Enhancement of Antibacterial and Mechanical Properties of Photocurable ε-Poly-l-lysine Hydrogels by Tannic Acid Treatment

In this study, a photocurable hydrogel based on an ε-poly-l-lysine (EPL) composite was fabricated by a grafting reaction using glycidyl methacrylate and then complexed with tannic acid (TA) to improve the mechanical stability and antibacterial performance of the EPL hydrogels. UV-visible spectrophotometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were introduced to characterize the chemical construction. The obtained EPLMA hydrogel was immersed into TA solution to induce the forming of the H-bond between EPL and TA, resulting in double networks in the composite hydrogel (EPLMA-TA). Due to the additional hydrogen-bond interaction between TA and EPLMA, the mechanical properties of hydrogels were improved and supported cell growth and proliferation. In addition, the antibacterial properties and antioxidant activities of the EPLMA-TA hydrogels were greatly enhanced due to the addition of TA. All the findings indicate that the EPLMA-TA hydrogels with multiple properties show great potential for biomedicine applications.