ACS Nano | Enzyme-mimicking hydrogel with balanced antibacterial activity and cell protection promotes corneal regeneration in bacterial keratitis
QQ Academic Group: 1092348845
Detailed
Current treatments for bacterial keratitis, ranging from topical antibiotics to sutured corneal transplants, have failed to simultaneously address infection control, inflammation regulation, and tissue regeneration. To balance effective antibacterial activity with host tissue protection, we developed an injectable biomimetic composite matrix that integrates a photoresponsive collagen/hyaluronic acid–nitrobenzyl conjugate (CHB) hydrogel with multifunctional carbon dots (CDs) derived from curcumin and Cinnamomum camphora (CC-CDs). After injection, the CHB hydrogel forms a transparent adhesive interface in situ, while the CC-CDs target bacterial membrane disruption through cationic shell chitosan and restore intracellular redox homeostasis via curcumin-derived nanozyme activity.Notably, compared with hydrophobic curcumin, CC-CD has increased water solubility by over 4,000 times, significantly enhancing its antioxidant efficacy and achieving a dual effect of nearly complete bacterial eradication while maintaining over 98% cell viability. Due to this biocompatibility, the composite hydrogel further promotes macrophage polarization toward the regenerative M2 phenotype. In vivo tests showed a 90% reduction in bacterial load within 24 hours, a 6-fold increase in anti-inflammatory cell recruitment by day 4, a 91.8% inhibition of fibrotic markers, and an 87.5% recovery of retinal signal amplitude by day 28. These findings highlight the synergistic capability of the composite hydrogel in scar-free structural repair and visual function restoration via minimally invasive microenvironment modulation, establishing an alternative to traditional ophthalmic surgery.

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