Fig. 9

Drug delivery vehicles and self-assembled hydrogels for antibacterial and wound healing applications. A. Schematic image illustrating the fabrication of composite hydrogels coloaded with copper and bBGF for antibacterial activity and tissue remodeling. (i) Inhibition zone tests to compare antibacterial effects of the hydrogel loaded with different concentrations of copper‑nicotinic acid. (ii) (iii)Optical and H&E staining images demonstrated that the hydrogel accelerated the process of wound healing. Reproduced with permission [108]. Copyright 2021, Springer Nature. B. Schematic illustration of process involved in the synthesis of GelMA-DOPA hydrogel loaded with AMP and CeONs. (iv) Live/dead staining images showing the antibacterial abilities of the AMP-loaded hydrogel to different bacteria species. (S.aureus, S.epidermidis, P.aeruginosa and E.coli, respectively) (v) Fluorescence images and quantitative analysis of ROS formation showing the ROS-scavenging ability of CeONs. Reproduced with permission [228]. Copyright 2021, Elsevier. Ltd. C. Schematic illustration of the structure of PCEC-QAS nanoparticles that self-assembled into hydrogels. (vi) Optical and SEM images showing the antibacterial efficacy of the PCEC-QAS hydrogel. (vi) Tissue repair processes after painting with different hydrogels (Untreated, CS, FA and PCEC-QAS hydrogel). Reproduced with permission [230]. Copyright 2020, American Chemical Society