Antibacterial and Antioxidant GelMA/CeO 2 Hydrogel Promotes Oral Mucosal Healing

Abstract

Oral mucosal wounds can greatly affect overall patient health and interfere with eating and speech functions. The intraoral environment provides an ideal milieu for bacterial growth and proliferation, thereby increasing the risk of infection in oral mucosal wounds. In the event of wound infection, immune cells undergo a respiratory burst, leading to the production of a substantial amount of reactive oxygen species. Bacterial colonization and excessive reactive oxygen species can induce adverse inflammatory responses, resulting in delayed healing of oral mucosal wounds. Cerium oxide (CeO 2 ) nanoparticles were chosen for their high antibacterial and antioxidant capacities. Gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) is an excellent carrier of CeO 2 nanoparticles, which has good injectivity after precrosslinking and is suitable for deep oral wounds. In this study, GelMA/CeO 2 hydrogels with antibacterial and antioxidant functionalities were engineered to enhance the healing of oral mucosal wounds. The GelMA/CeO 2 hydrogels demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, promoted gingival fibroblast migration, and upregulated the expression of genes involved in wound healing. In addition to their significant antioxidant activity, the GelMA/CeO 2 hydrogels exhibited strong antibacterial properties, as evidenced by the inhibition of Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingivalis growth. The GelMA/CeO 2 hydrogels also significantly accelerated the healing of infected mucosal wounds in a rabbit model, achieving a 100% wound closure rate by day 7. In summary, the use of these novel GelMA/CeO 2 hydrogels represents an effective strategy for the treatment of oral wounds.