Self-healing Ppy-hydrogel promotes diabetic skin wound healing through enhanced sterilization and macrophage orchestration triggered by NIR.

Abstract

Non-healing diabetic foot ulcers are the knotty public health issue due to the uncontrolled bacterial infection, prolonged inflammation, and inferior vessel remodeling. In this work, polypyrrole (Ppy) was added into the hybrid hydrogel containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and hyaluronan (HA) to acquire superior mechanism and photothermal ability. The Ppy composited hybrid hydrogel could effectively kill bacteria through accumulating heat on the hydrogel surface. RNA-Seq analysis shows that the heat accumulation could enhance phagosome of macrophage and M1 activation, which further accelerate bacteria clearance. Benefitting from the bacteria clearance, macrophage could transform its phenotype to M2 in Ppy composited hybrid hydrogel group with near infrared light (NIR) stimulation. The related genes expression in keratinization, keratinocyte differentiation, and establishment of the skin barrier in the skin were up-regulated and collagen and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression level are also enhanced. In summary, Ppy composited hybrid hydrogel could effectively solve the issues of infection and poor wound healing in diabetic foot ulcers, making it an ideal candidate dressing for the treatment of chronic wounds.