Functional hydrogels with antibacterial and tissue repair-promoting properties have attracted growing attention in wound treatment. We here designed a nanocomposite hydrogel consisting of a quaternary ammonium-functionalized chitosan matrix and curcumin (Cur)-loaded Zif-8 nanoparticles (Zif8@Cur). This hydrogel can capture and inactivate bacteria through quaternary ammonium group-induced electrostatic interactions and pH-triggered Cur release. Importantly, the property of pH-triggered Cur release at the infection site endowed this hydrogel with high antimicrobial activity at relatively low Cur content, thereby increasing drug bioavailability and mitigating toxic effects. In addition, with the variation in bacterial cell membrane permeability triggered by quaternary ammonium groups, the interference of Cur in intracellular homeostasis was enhanced and the antibacterial efficacy was significantly improved. Furthermore, the as-prepared hydrogel can effectively restrain wound inflammation and accelerate tissue repair, thereby showing valuable potential in treating microbial infections during wound healing.

具有抗菌和促进组织修复特性的功能性水凝胶在伤口治疗中引起了越来越多的关注。我们在这里设计了一种纳米复合水凝胶，由季铵官能化壳聚糖基质和负载姜黄素 (Cur) 的 Zif-8 纳米粒子 (Zif8@Cur) 组成。这种水凝胶可以通过季铵基团诱导的静电相互作用和 pH 触发的 Cur 释放来捕获和灭活细菌。重要的是，感染部位 pH 触发的 Cur 释放特性使这种水凝胶在相对较低的 Cur 含量下具有高抗菌活性，从而提高药物的生物利用度并减轻毒性作用。此外，随着季铵基团触发细菌细胞膜通透性的变化，Cur对细胞内稳态的干扰增强，抗菌效果显着提高。此外，所制备的水凝胶可以有效抑制伤口炎症并加速组织修复，从而在伤口愈合过程中显示出治疗微生物感染的宝贵潜力。