The complex hydrogel based on diatom biosilica and hydroxybutyl chitosan for wound healing

In this study, doxycycline (DOXY)-loaded diatom biosilica (DBs) were developed and coated with hydroxybutyl chitosan (HBC) hydrogel for wound healing. The HBC/DBs/DOXY composite hydrogel had significant inhibitory activity against S. aureus (100%) and E. coli (98%). In addition, the HBC/DBs/DOXY hydrogel showed minimum cytotoxicity on L929 cells in vitro, indicating the great biocompatibility of the composite hydrogel. The in vivo results demonstrated that HBC/DBs/DOXY composite hydrogel could promote the wound re-epithelialization and accelerate the healing. The wound closure was evaluated to be 99.4 ± 0.4% at day 12 after treated with the hydrogel, with the presence of neovascularization and collagen deposition, all indicating the great potential of HBC/DBs/DOXY hydrogel in wound healing.