Flexible porous nanofibrous sponge with antioxidant and antibacterial characteristics for promoting diabetic wound healing

Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and bacterial burden delay diabetic wound healing. Although antioxidants and antibacterials have the potential to mitigate excessive ROS and bacterial burden, their efficacy is compromised by the presence of abundant exudate. In this study, a porous chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol nanofibrous sponge immobilized with protocatechualdehyde (CPNS-PA) is developed as a flexible dressing. The CPNS-PA exhibits favorable liquid management ability, high liquid absorption capacity (3867.73 %), superior air permeability (281.1 mm/s), and great compressive recovery at a strain of 50 %. Immobilizing protocatechualdehyde endows CPNS-PA with improved antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Besides, to enhance the stability of CPNS-PA in an aqueous environment, heat treatment is employed instead of toxic chemical agents, thereby preserving its excellent cytocompatibility. The experiments conducted on a diabetic mouse wound model demonstrate that CPNS-PA effectively promotes diabetic wound healing, indicating its promising potential for clinical applications in diabetic wound healing.