Biofunctional Carboxymethyl Chitosan Hydrogel Incorporating Hyaluronic Acid and RGD Peptides for Accelerated Wound Repair

作者：Shuyue Wang, Qingwu Yang, Jiren Xu, Youshiqi Zhou, Xiaoqing Tian, Wenhui Wu, Jeevithan Elango, Xiaozhen Diao · 发表于：Gels · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3390/gels11100765 · 被引用次数：11 · 研究领域：Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications、Wound Healing and Treatments、Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications

Carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC)-based hydrogels have emerged as promising candidates for wound dressing applications due to their excellent biocompatibility and tunable physicochemical properties. In this study, a novel hydrogel functionalized with hyaluronic acid (HA) and RGD peptides (RGD) was fabricated and evaluated for its structural characteristics and wound-healing potential. Using CMC as the base matrix and EDC/NHS as crosslinking agents, four hydrogel variants were fabricated: CMC gel, CMC-HA gel, CMC-RGD gel, and CMC-HA-RGD gel. The preliminary cell compatibility experiment identified the optimal formulation as 1% CMC, 0.9% HA, and 0.02 mg/mL RGD, crosslinked with 1 vol% EDC and 0.05 wt% NHS. Scanning electron microscopy showed a porous architecture (100–400 μm), conducive to fibroblast viability and proliferation. Zeta potential measurements (|ζ| > 30 mV) indicated colloidal stability of the hydrogel system. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed successful crosslinking and integration of HA and RGD via hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions, forming a stable three-dimensional network. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed enhanced thermal stability upon HA/RGD incorporation. CCK-8 assays demonstrated significantly improved cell viability with HA/RGD loading (p < 0.05), while Ki-67 immunofluorescence confirmed enhanced fibroblast proliferation, with the CMC-HA-RGD gel showing the most pronounced effect. In vitro scratch assay results demonstrat...