Tissue‐adhesive, antibacterial, naturally‐derived polymer hydrogels as wound dressings for infected and chronic wound healing

Abstract Bacterial infections are common during skin wound healing, which can interrupt the healing process, delay wound healing and seriously affect the quality of life. Long‐term antibiotic treatment may lead to the development of drug resistance. Traditional bandages, sponges, films, and textiles are commonly single‐functional, and usually fail to satisfy the complicated needs of wound healing process. In recent years, antibacterial hydrogel dressings have received extensive attention for treatment of infected and chronic wounds, which can serve as biocompatible, multifunctional platforms for both promoting tissue regeneration and inhibiting bacterial infection. Cationic polymers with inherent antibacterial properties have been used as the hydrogel backbone, and metal ions and metal nanoparticles can be loaded in the hydrogels to enhance the antibacterial effects. Besides, various drugs and bioactive factors have been incorporated to provide the hydrogel with anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant activities in complicated environment of chronic wound healing. Additionally, the tissue adhesion of hydrogel dressings can have advantages in fixing the dressings at wound sites and promoting the dressing‐tissue interactions. In this review, we focus on the designing strategies for tissue‐adhesive, antibacterial, naturally‐derived polymer hydrogels for treating infected and chronic wounds. The typical tissue adhesion mechanisms and antibacterial mechanisms of the hydrogel dressings are summarized. Finally, the prospects and challenges in the further development of multi‐functional hydrogels to treat infected and chronic wounds are proposed.