{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T12:21:14Z","timestamp":1791894074780,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,5]],"date-time":"2025-12-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764892800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) represent a challenging chronic wound model, often plagued by biofilm formation that sustains inflammation and impedes healing. Transforming growth factor-beta 3 (TGF-\u03b23) is a promising cytokine for tissue regeneration, yet its delivery within the hostile, infected wound milieu remains problematic. This study addresses the intertwined challenges of microbial resistance and healing impairment by developing a multifunctional injectable hydrogel that couples inherent antibacterial activity with sustained TGF-\u03b23 release.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      A catechol-modified quaternized chitosan (QCS-Catechol) was synthesized and crosslinked with benzaldehyde-terminated 4-arm polyethylene glycol (4-arm PEG-CHO) to form the BP-QS\/TGF-\u03b23 hydrogel. Its physicochemical properties, injectability, adhesion, and mechanical strength were characterized. Antibacterial efficacy was evaluated against\n                      <jats:italic>Staphylococcus aureus<\/jats:italic>\n                      and\n                      <jats:italic>Escherichia coli<\/jats:italic>\n                      . The biocompatibility and therapeutic potential of the BP-QS\/TGF-\u03b23 hydrogel were evaluated through\n                      <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                      assays (CCK-8, apoptosis, hemolysis) and in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic mouse model, respectively, against controls including PBS, BP-QS (blank hydrogel), and free TGF-\u03b23 solution. Wound closure kinetics, histology (H&amp;amp;E, Masson\u2019s trichrome), and immunohistochemistry (CD31, Ki-67) were analyzed.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      The BP-QS\/TGF-\u03b23 hydrogel demonstrated rapid gelation (~3 min), excellent injectability, robust tissue adhesion (28.5 \u00b1 2.1 J\/m\u00b2), and suitable mechanical properties. It exhibited outstanding biocompatibility and potent, broad-spectrum antibacterial efficiency (&amp;gt;94%). The sustained release of TGF-\u03b23 significantly enhanced fibroblast migration and proliferation\n                      <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                      . In diabetic mice, the BP-QS\/TGF-\u03b23 treatment achieved the most rapid wound closure, with the lowest relative wound deficit (7.30% \u00b1 2.76% on day 12), significantly outperforming the PBS control, BP-QS hydrogel, and free TGF-\u03b23 solution groups (p &amp;lt; 0.01). Histological analyses revealed enhanced granulation tissue formation, collagen deposition (724.61 \u00b1 60.12 \u03bcm), angiogenesis, and cell proliferation. No systemic toxicity was observed.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The BP-QS\/TGF-\u03b23 hydrogel synergizes potent antibacterial action with sustained TGF-\u03b23 delivery to disrupt the vicious cycle of biofilm infection and healing failure. This integrated, multidisciplinary strategy effectively targets the core pathology of diabetic wounds, offering a promising therapeutic platform for managing biofilm-infected chronic wounds.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fcimb.2025.1717082","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,5]],"date-time":"2025-12-05T06:28:53Z","timestamp":1764916133000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["A catechol-modified quaternized chitosan\/PEG hydrogel for diabetic wound healing: synergistic effects of TGF-\u03b23 delivery, angiogenesis, and antibacterial activity"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Xiu","family":"Yang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zheng-Chao","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bo","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yu-Nan","family":"Lu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xue-Yi","family":"He","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hui-Dong","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jia-Xun","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jia-Yu","family":"He","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yi-Ren","family":"Zhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chang-Li","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wu-Bing","family":"He","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpha.2015.11.005","article-title":"Methods for in vitro evaluating antimicrobial activity: A review","volume":"6","author":"Balouiri","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. 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