Asymmetric-interfacial nanofibrous membranes with diode-like exudate transport for nanozyme-catalyzed antibacterial wound healing.

Abstract

Antibiotic-resistant wound infections require dressings that rapidly remove protein-rich exudate, resist fouling and bacterial adhesion, and provide drug-sparing antimicrobial activity. Here we develop asymmetric-interfacial Janus nanofibrous membranes that integrate diode-like exudate transport with infection-microenvironment-responsive nanozyme catalysis for antibacterial wound healing. The membrane couples a multiscale-rough superhydrophobic outer layer with a hydrophilic inner layer, establishing a through-thickness wettability gradient and capillary-pressure asymmetry that preferentially pumps liquids from the hydrophilic side to the superhydrophobic side while suppressing reverse wetting. An asymmetric Janus nanofibrous membrane (Janus-ZnCu-BIF NFM), composed of a hydrophilic nanofiber layer selectively loaded with copper-doped zinc boron imidazolate framework (ZnCu-BIF) nanocubes and an integrated hydrophobic polylactic acid layer, exhibits catalytic antibacterial activity by promoting reactive oxygen species generation and disrupting bacterial membrane integrity. The resulting membrane nearly eliminated viable multidrug-resistant bacteria in vitro. In a murine full-thickness wound model infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the dressing significantly reduced bacterial burden and accelerated healing, reaching 99.8% wound closure by day 12. Histological analyses indicated attenuated inflammation, enhanced angiogenesis, and improved dermal regeneration, while transcriptomic profiling revealed enrichment of pathways associated with extracellular-matrix remodeling and vascular development. Overall, this work establishes a scalable, biomimetic dressing that couples rectified exudate management with robust catalytic antibacterial efficacy, providing a practical route toward next-generation wound care materials for drug-resistant infections.