It is important to treat a bacterial-infected
wound with a
hydrogel dressing due to its excellent biocompatibility and extracellular matrix mimicking structure. In this work, the antibacterial
curcumin nanoparticles (Cur-NPs) loaded
silk fibroin and
sodium alginate (SF/SA) composite
hydrogels have been developed as dressings for bacterial-infected
wound closure. The as-prepared composite
hydrogel dressings exhibited excellent biocompatibility and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in vitro. In addition, the composite
hydrogel dressings showed good
tissue adhesive strength because of their high viscosity and abundance of amino groups distributed on SF, which can form multi-
aldehyde polysaccharides with the tissue surface. The porous 3D structure of the composite
hydrogel dressings facilitated the absorption of exudate from the
wound site and promoted the fusion of cellular nutrients and metabolites. In the full-thickness skin defect model with and without
bacterial infection, the Cur-NPs loaded SF/SA composite
hydrogel dressings prominently improves the closure of bacterial-infected
wounds by improving cell proliferation, anti-inflammatory properties,
vascular remodeling, and
collagen deposition.