Reversible Adhesive Hydrogel Balancing Conflicting Needs of Strong Adhesion and Painless Removal for Diabetic Joint Wound Healing.

Song, Pengyu; Sun, Qingmei; Liang, Xue; Li, Jianrui; Shi, Junqiu; Zhu, Yunqing; Du, Jianzhong · ACS Nano · 2025

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Diabetic joint wounds require dressings with strong adhesion, painless removal, and therapeutic effects. We developed DA-Hyd-Doxy, a multifunctional hydrogel, by copolymerizing <i>N</i>-isopropylacrylamide with dopamine-containing zwitterionic poly(amidoamine)s and encapsulating doxycycline. This hydrogel exhibits strong, reversible adhesion, surpassing the Tegaderm film at ∼35 °C, while exposure to 10 °C water for 10 min reduces adhesion to 0 N for painless removal. It also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, promoting angiogenesis, collagen deposition, and re-epithelialization. Loaded with doxycycline, it achieves nearly 100% bacteria-killing efficiency against <i>E. coli</i> and <i>S. aureus</i>. <i>In vivo</i> studies showed superior wound healing, with DA-Hyd-Doxy achieving near-complete closure (1.1 ± 0.4%) versus Tegaderm (20.2 ± 3.0%). This hydrogel provides a practical solution for infected diabetic joint wounds, offering strong adhesion, painless removal, and multifunctional therapeutic benefits, making it ideal for dynamic wound sites.

Medical subject headings