Multiple crosslinked, self-healing, and shape-adaptable hydrogel laden with pain-relieving chitosan@borneol nanoparticles for infected burn wound healing

Rationale: Next-generation wound dressings with multiple biological functions hold promise for addressing the complications and pain associated with burn wounds. Methods: A hydrogel wound dressing loaded with a pain-relieving drug was developed for treating infected burn wounds. Polyvinyl alcohol chemically grafted with gallic acid (PVA-GA), sodium alginate chemically grafted with 3-aminobenzeneboronic acid (SA-PBA), Zn²⁺, and chitosan-coated borneol nanoparticles with anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving activities were combined to afford a nanoparticle-loaded hydrogel with a PVA-GA/Zn²⁺/SA-PBA network crosslinked via multiple physicochemical interactions. Results: The developed hydrogel demonstrated adhesiveness, self-healing, shape adaptability, injectability, degradability, conformity to complicated wound surfaces, and other desirable biological functions, including a pH-responsive drug release behavior and antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and proangiogenic activities. In a murine scald wound model, the hydrogel effectively prevented infection by Staphylococcus aureus and downregulated pain perception (measured using mouse grimace scale scores and hind paw lifting and licking times), thereby accelerating wound healing. Conclusion: This study provides broad prospects for the development of new hydrogel systems that can substantially improve the dynamic management of infected burn wounds.