Multifunctional hydrogel based on dopamine-modified hyaluronic acid, gelatin and silver nanoparticles for promoting abdominal wall defect repair

Abdominal wall defects are often accompanied by severe infections and complications, creating a significant challenge for clinicians. There is an urgent need to develop a novel wound dressing that can effectively prevent intra-abdominal infection and promote the healing of defective abdominal walls. Based on a hydrogel dressing containing hyaluronic acid (HA) and gelatin (GT), herein we integrated dopamine with a catechol structure to enhance its antioxidant and adherent properties. HA is oxidized to form an aldehyde group, and subsequently grafted with dopamine. The dopamine-modified HA undergoes amidation reaction with GT at different con-centrations. In addition, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were introduced to the hydrogel to enhance the antibac-terial properties. The in vitro studies on GT/DA-HA demonstrated excellent physical and chemical properties, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. In a rat full-thickness skin defect model and a full-thickness abdominal wall defect model, the GT/DA-HA hydrogel could accelerate the healing process by improving wet adhesion, reducing wound inflammation, and promoting angiogenesis and formation of granulation tissues. The multi-functional hydrogel developed in this study shows great potential for treating full-thickness abdominal wall defects.