Bacteria-triggered hyaluronan/AgNPs/gentamicin nanocarrier for synergistic bacteria disinfection and wound healing application

Abstract Here, we report on a bacteria-triggered hyaluronan/AgNPs/gentamicin nanocarrier (HB/Ag/g) that has highly efficient synergistic bacteria disinfection capability, and intelligent application in wound healing when used in combination with mussel-inspired chitin hydrogel. Briefly, HB/Ag/g was prepared using a simple self-assembly process and exhibited a controllable release of Ag and gentamicin that was triggered by either pH or hyaluronidase (HAase) which was released from bacteria. The Ag and gentamicin released from HB/Ag/g showed robust synergistic antibacterial activities because of their different antibacterial mechanisms. Furthermore, HB/Ag/g was used as a coating block for the construction of disinfectant coatings on polydopamine modified chitin hydrogel (CPH) by a facile dip-drying procedure, and the product was named HB/Ag/g@CPH. HB/Ag/g@CPH exhibited strong inhibition of the growth and adhesion of bacteria, and did not affect cell attachment and proliferation. Most importantly, in vivo results indicate that HB/Ag/g@CPH can be conveniently used for wound disinfection and accelerated wound healing in a wound infected with S. aureus.