Abstract
Wound healing is rendered less effective mainly due to exudate overload, bacterial growth, and limited growth factors in most cases, resulting in delayed wound healing and complications. This study reveals a new class of smart wound-healing hydrogels encapsulated with biosynthesized iron oxide nanoparticles for accelerated antimicrobial activity and wound healing. Screening these organic hybrid hydrogels revealed promising wound healing and antimicrobial properties by controlled protein secretion from the hydrogel containing PRP, alongside the mitigation of infection due to the bacteria. The hydrogel antimicrobial activity was boosted via green-synthesized IONP incorporation, illustrating more pronounced killing in Gram-negative bacteria, which is highly consistent with TEM-morphological alterations in the bacteria's structure, cell wall, and membrane. The chitosan-based hydrogel exhibited the lowest half-maximal scavenging concentration. The hydrogels also exhibited high cell viability and growth. Further investigation into the wound healing activity of the hydrogel was conducted using an animal model, which showed healing in 18 days compared to the control and standard. Overall, this study demonstrates a feasible design for tailoring new surface-functionalized organic-inorganic hybrid hydrogels as promising antimicrobial and wound healing agents.