Injectable Self-Healing Berberine-Loaded Boronate Ester Cross-Linked Chitosan/Cellulose Hydrogels for Wound Management

Injectable self-healing hydrogels with intrinsic antibacterial properties represent a promising advancement for wound management. This study presents a natural-based hydrogel system for full-thickness wound healing, fabricated via the hybridization of quaternary ammonium cellulose phenylboronic acid (QAC-PBA) with quaternary ammonium glycol chitosan (QGCS) and the in situ encapsulation of berberine (BBR). The quaternary ammonium groups endow intrinsic antibacterial properties, and the dynamic boronate esters confer self-healing and injectable properties to the hydrogel. Additionally, the release of BBR provides an additional antibacterial mechanism by targeting possible wound sites that are not in direct contact with the hydrogel. The hydrogel demonstrated a strong antibacterial effect (up to 94.1% against E. coli and 99.8% against S. aureus), fast self-healing, injectability, and high biocompatibility (>100% viability against NIH3T3 cells). In a full-thickness wound model, the hydrogel dressing achieved 95% wound closure in 14 days compared to 89% for the Tegaderm film control.