An AIE-active polyvinyl alcohol/berberine/hemoadhican smart hydrogel for scarless wound healing with visual pH monitoring
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Hard-to-heal wounds characterized by infection, dysregulated inflammation, and fibrosis remain a significant clinical challenge. This is particularly true for chronic wounds, such as those resulting from burn injuries and diabetic ulcers. Here, a physical self-assembly strategy is employed to co-incorporate berberine and the polysaccharide hemoadhican into a polyvinyl alcohol matrix, generating a multifunctional hydrogel that integrates antibacterial activity, immunomodulation, and real-time wound pH monitoring. The hydrogel exhibits robust mechanical stability, enabling adaptation to dynamic wound microenvironments. In vitro studies demonstrate that the hydrogel promotes fibroblast migration and angiogenesis, effectively scavenges reactive oxygen species, and regulates macrophage polarization toward an anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. In vivo , the hydrogel accelerates wound closure in rabbit ear scar models, diabetic infected wounds, burn wounds, and mixed bacterial infection models, while reducing bacterial burden, enhancing skin appendage regeneration, and attenuating fibrosis and scar formation. Notably, aggregation-induced emission responsiveness allows visual monitoring of wound pH changes, providing intuitive feedback on wound status during healing. Together, this work demonstrates an integrated diagnostic–therapeutic hydrogel platform and offers a material design paradigm for scar-free wound repair.
Source: Materials Today Bio
Language: English
Topic: Wound Healing and Treatments
Subfield: Rehabilitation
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,400
Awards: G4170948632, G895791382
OpenAlex ID: W7160773201