To address healing challenges such as susceptibility to infection and excessive oxidative stress in deep wounds, a research team at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) has developed a multifunctional injectable hydrogel that does not contain antibiotics. This material, constructed based on a metal-phenolic network (MPN), achieves integrated antioxidant, antibacterial, and sustained drug release functions through the synergistic effect of cerium ions and natural rutin, providing a new approach to the repair of complex wounds. The relevant findings were published in the journal ACS Applied Biomaterials.

Deep tissue injuries are often accompanied by excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and bacterial colonization, hindering the healing process. Traditional dressings struggle to address multiple pathological factors simultaneously. Leveraging the designability of the MPN platform, the research team assembled cerium ions with enzyme-like antioxidant activity and rutin molecules with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties into a nanocomposite, which was then integrated into an injectable hydrogel system. After injection, this material forms a stable scaffold within the wound cavity, continuously clearing ROS and inhibiting pathogenic microorganisms through a sustained-release mechanism. Simultaneously, it absorbs wound exudate up to ten times its own weight, effectively maintaining a moist and balanced repair microenvironment. 

"Wound care is shifting from passive protection to active intervention," noted Mukesh Dankar, the paper's corresponding author and assistant professor at IITGN. "Our design philosophy is to allow the components of the material to work synergistically, rather than relying on a single function, to address healing barriers more comprehensively." Preclinical animal experiments and in vitro tests showed that the hydrogel was well-compatible with blood and surrounding tissues, and the treated group showed a significantly faster wound closure rate than the untreated group, with no toxic reactions observed.

First author Shreyash Apotikar emphasized that deep wounds often fail to heal due to a combination of factors, therefore material design must take into account multiple biological targets. "We make the functions of each component complement each other, producing a synergistic amplified therapeutic effect, which is the core advantage of this system." 

The technology has been patented, and the research team is actively seeking industry partners to promote large animal validation and clinical translation and commercial development for human and veterinary markets.