Antibacterial conductive hydrogels
have been extensively utilized
in tissue repair and regeneration on account of their unique electrochemical
performances and advantages of anti-pathogenic bacterial infection.
Here, multi-functional collagen-based hydrogels (CHLY) with adhesivity,
conductivity, and antibacterial and antioxidant activities were developed
by introducing cysteine-modified ε-poly(l-lysine) (ε-PL-SH)
and in situ-polymerized polypyrrole (PPy) nanoparticles to induce
full-thickness wound healing. CHLY hydrogels have a low swelling ratio,
good compressive strength, and viscoelasticity due to chemical crosslinking,
chelation, physical interaction, and nano-reinforcements in the matrix
network of hydrogels. CHLY hydrogels possess excellent tissue adhesion
ability, low cytotoxicity, enhanced cell migration ability, and good
blood coagulation performance without causing hemolysis. Interestingly,
the chemical conjugation of ε-PL-SH in the hydrogel matrix gives
hydrogels an inherently robust and broad-spectrum antibacterial activity,
while the introduction of PPy endows hydrogels with superior free
radical scavenging capacity and good electroactivity. Significantly,
CHLY hydrogels have advantages in alleviating persistent inflammatory
response as well as promoting angiogenesis, epidermis regeneration,
and orderly collagen deposition at the wound sites through their multi-functional
synergies, thus effectively accelerating full-thickness wound healing
and improving wound healing quality. Overall, our developed multi-functional
collagen-based hydrogel dressing demonstrates promising application
prospects in the field of tissue engineering to induce skin regeneration.