Abstract
Chronic and acute cutaneous wounds present significant clinical challenges, necessitating wound dressings that combine mechanical compliance, autonomous damage recovery, and active pro-regenerative functionality. Herein, we report the development of a bio-inspired, nanocomposite self-healing hydrogel designed for accelerated wound closure. The hydrogel matrix is constructed via dynamic imine (Schiff-base) bonds between oxidized dextran and glycol chitosan, further reinforced through non-covalent and coordination interactions with polydopamine-functionalized graphene oxide (pGO) nanosheets. The incorporation of pGO markedly enhanced the mechanical stiffness and energy dissipation capacity of the network, increasing the storage modulus (G′) by over 280% compared to pristine networks without compromising autonomous self-healing capabilities. The hydrogel demonstrated rapid macro- and microscopic self-healing within 15 minutes at physiological temperature without external stimuli. Furthermore, the dressing exhibited robust broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, sustained free-radical scavenging capacity, and superior tissue adhesiveness. In vitro cell viability and scratch migration assays using human dermal fibroblasts confirmed excellent cytocompatibility and enhanced cell motility. In an excisional full-thickness cutaneous wound model, the pGO-reinforced hydrogel facilitated rapid re-epithelialization, enhanced collagen deposition, and stimulated angiogenesis, achieving 96.4% wound closure within 14 days. These findings demonstrate that functionalizing dynamic polymeric networks with graphene-based nanomaterials yields multifunctional smart dressings capable of substantially improving regenerative outcomes in complex wound management.
