Jiantao Zhang

ZPB@FPBA integrates phenylboronic acid-mediated bacterial targeting with acid-triggered polymyxin B release, achieving precise and efficient treatment of bacterial infections.

Chronic wounds present clinical challenges due to delayed healing, infection, and immune dysfunction. Most hydrogel dressings rely on crosslinking agents with potential adverse effects. This study introduces a one-pot, dual-crosslinked hydrogel fabricated via a bienzymatic cascade system using chitosan modified with phenol and arginine groups (CPA), xyloglucan (XG), horseradish peroxidase, and galactose oxidase (GalOx). The GalOx oxidizes XG to generate aldehydes, which form Schiff base bonds with the amino groups of CPA, creating the first gel network and releasing H2O2. The phenol groups in CPA are then catalyzed by H2O2 and HRP to form covalent bonds, establishing the second network. The hydrogel exhibits excellent mechanics, shear-thinning, self-healing, injectability, antimicrobial activity, angiogenesis promotion, and hemostatic properties. It shows superb biocompatibility and accelerates wound healing in burn and diabetic mouse models, outperforming commercial products. This hydrogel is a promising dressing for chronic wound therapy.

Organic room‑temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials attract interest for bioimaging, anti‑counterfeiting, and data storage. Yet, achieving stable RTP in water‑rich, oxygen‑permeable hydrogels is difficult due to triplet quenching and fast nonradiative decay. Here, we introduce a microfluidics‑assisted method to build organic afterglow microgels with ultralong phosphorescence in air. Deuterated coronene is loaded into poly(methyl methacrylate) latex nanoparticles and then embedded in a crosslinked polymer network, creating a hierarchical confinement that suppresses triplet nonradiative transitions and oxygen quenching. The microgels show phosphorescence duration up to tens of seconds, with a record 9.33 s lifetime for organic microgel systems, arising from the localized triplet state of deuterated coronene. They also exhibit reversible humidity response: swelling quenches, and drying restores phosphorescence. This strategy offers a general route to high‑performance, stimuli‑responsive organic RTP materials for flexible optoelectronics and intelligent sensing.

HA-B@Fe hydrogel combines covalent polymyxin B grafting and Fe ³⁺ coordination for self-healing and contact-killing, promoting infected diabetic wound repair in rats.

Acne is a prevalent chronic inflammatory skin disorder with a high recurrence rate, in which Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) plays a key pathogenic role by colonizing subepidermal pilosebaceous units. The stratum corneum limits drug penetration, rendering conventional topical therapies ineffective. Herein, we report a detachable sustained-release microneedle system named Bacitracin@Hyaluronic Acid–Zein Microneedle (Bac@HA-ZMN) for localized antibacterial delivery in acne therapy. This microneedle patch consists of a dissolvable HA base and zein-based indwelling microneedle tips loaded with bacitracin (Bac) against P. acnes. Mechanical testing showed an average fracture force of 1.6 N per needle tip (n = 100), sufficient for skin insertion. The needle tips enabled Bac delivery to a depth of approximately 500 μm. In vitro transdermal studies demonstrated a cumulative release of 76.1% within 96 h, significantly higher than that of the control group (14.2%). In a murine acne model, the Bac@HA-ZMN treatment group showed a significantly smaller lesion area than the control group, and the immunohistochemical positive expression areas of the inflammatory factors IL-8, MMP-2, and TNF-α were reduced to 0.79%, 4.12%, and 2.14%, respectively, which was caused by the inhibitory effect of Bac on P. acnes. These results demonstrated Bac@HA-ZMN as a promising localized, sustained antibacterial delivery platform for acne treatment.

Berberine hydrochloride (BH) is a naturally isoquinoline alkaloid extracted from Coptis species. It possesses an extremely intense bitter taste and is clas

Bacterial infections remain a major challenge in the treatment of chronic diabetic wounds, primarily due to hyperglycemic conditions that favor microbial proliferation. Conventional hydrogels incorporating physically entrapped antibiotics are often limited by burst release and inadequate long-term antibacterial efficacy. To address this, we developed a covalently grafted antibacterial hydrogel system based on neomycin sulfate (N) conjugated to sodium alginate (SA) to form SA-N. This modified polymer was further combined with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and cross-linked via boric acid to establish an interpenetrating network structure, denoted as PBN hydrogels. Successful covalent conjugation of neomycin was verified by FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Rheological analysis under alternating strain demonstrated the hydrogel’s rapid self-healing behavior, a critical feature for dynamic wound environments. The PBN hydrogel exhibited strong broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, achieving inhibition rates of 98.03% against Staphylococcus aureus and 93.19% against Escherichia coli. Moreover, in a diabetic mouse wound model, treatment with the PBN hydrogel resulted in accelerated wound closure, reaching 96.59% after 21 days. Collectively, the PBN hydrogel demonstrates excellent biocompatibility, sustained antibacterial performance, and promising therapeutic potential for the management of chronic diabetic wounds.