Antibacterial hydrogels for bacteria-infected wound treatment

Abstract

Bacteria-infected wounds are enormous clinical obstacles and cause huge burdens to patients and society. Recently, many biomaterials are designed to treat bacterial infected wounds. Among various biomaterials, antibacterial hydrogels are one of the most recommended groups due to their ability to load antibacterial drugs and cover wounds while maintaining a moist environment. In this review, we present the progress in antibacterial hydrogels for bacteria-infected wound treatment. We first summarize the pathophysiology of bacteria-infected wounds, which demonstrates the clinical manifestations and offers clinical therapy projects. Afterwards, we describe the different morphologies of antibacterial hydrogels. Then, we focus on the various practical applications and therapeutic effects of antibacterial hydrogels. At last, the recent problems and outlook of antibacterial hydrogels for bacteria-infected wound healing are summarized. We hope this review can inspire the development of bacteria-infected wound treatment and the related biomedical fields.