Multifunctional nanocomposite hydrogel dressing with low-temperature photothermal and controlled antibiotics release for combating bacterial infection

Surgical site infection (SSI) is a feared complication in liver resection. Developing wound dressings that effectively combat bacterial infection and promote tissue regeneration is clinically significant. Herein, we present a near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive multifunctional hydrogel system (PDA/Mup@DA-HA) consisting of mupirocin-loaded polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA) and dopamine-modified hyaluronic acid (DA-HA) hydrogel to accelerate bacteria-infected wound healing. The hybrid hydrogel has good adhesion and three-dimensional porous structure, which can adapt to the shape of the wound for adequate hemostasis and provide a suitable microenvironment for wound healing. The polydopamine nanoparticles doped inside the hydrogel are uniformly distributed and have the functions of loading antibacterial drugs and photothermal therapy. Therefore, the excellent adhesion of hydrogel can quickly attach to infected wounds and generate controllable local hyperthermia under near-infrared light irradiation, induce the destruction of bacterial integrity, and increase the effective release of the antibacterial drug mupirocin, thereby synergistically leading to bacterial inactivation. Notably, the animal model indicates that the hybrid hydrogel can significantly accelerate wound healing caused by bacterial infections under near-infrared light irradiation by reducing inflammatory reactions and promoting vascular reconstruction. The multifunctional hydrogel dressing provides a reliable tool for treating bacterial-infected wounds in clinical applications.