Advanced hydrogel for management of bacterial wound infections

Bacterial wound infections are increasingly becoming recognized as a serious threat to global public health. Like never before, increased antimicrobial resistance has presented enormous clinical challenges for the management of wound infections. To tackle this global problem, numerous alternative strategies are currently being explored involving the repurposing of antibiotics, the development of antimicrobial peptides, metallic nanoparticles, photodynamic therapy, or photothermal therapies. However, wound healing is a complex process that requires a multimodal approach. Among all currently used wound dressings, hydrogels are the most promising approach in supporting different stages of the wound repair process, providing optimal conditions for cell support and wound protection. Hence, there is an increasing focus on the development of advanced multifunctional antibacterial hydrogels using antibiotic-free approaches. Many different antimicrobials (silver, black phosphorus, antimicrobial peptides, etc.) are being investigated to be integrated within hydrogel for safe and efficacious delivery. Currently, hydrogel delivery approaches are functionalized with a smart drug release system offering on-demand, safe and localized delivery of antimicrobials within the wound site. There is a strong emphasis to explore this exciting avenue in developing a variety of multifunctional synergetic hydrogel therapies with a smart drug release for widespread clinical applications. These kinds of hydrogels offer a tremendous improvement in providing an on-demand release to ensure on-time treatment based on the wound requirements while being safe and clinically acceptable. Moreover, smart hydrogels are emerging with the capacity to provide real-time monitoring of wound status serving as a point-of-care diagnosis, as well as on-demand treatment. Therefore, the application of antibacterial hydrogel dressing is a promising innovation for the treatment of infected wounds.