{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]],"date-time":"2026-02-03T16:45:12Z","timestamp":1770137112601,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,26]],"date-time":"2026-01-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769385600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Polymers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Chronic diabetic wounds, particularly diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), are prone to recurrent infection and delayed healing, resulting in substantial morbidity, mortality, and economic burden. Multifunctional wound dressings that combine antibacterial, antioxidant, conductive, and self-healing properties may help to address the complex microenvironment of chronic diabetic wounds. Methods: In this study, \u03b5-poly-L-lysine and amino-terminated polyethylene glycol were grafted onto carboxylated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) via amide coupling to obtain \u03b5-PL-CNT-PEG. Aminated chondroitin sulfate (CS-ADH) and a catechol\u2013metal coordination complex of protocatechualdehyde and Fe3+ (PA@Fe) were then used to construct a dynamic covalently cross-linked hydrogel network through Schiff-base chemistry. The obtained hydrogels (Gel0\u20133, Gel4) were characterized for photothermal performance, rheological behavior, microstructure, swelling\/degradation, adhesiveness, antioxidant capacity, electrical conductivity, cytocompatibility, hemocompatibility, and antibacterial activity in the presence and absence of near-infrared (NIR, 808 nm) irradiation. Results: \u03b5-PL-CNT-PEG showed good aqueous dispersibility, NIR-induced photothermal conversion, and improved cytocompatibility after surface modification. Incorporation of \u03b5-PL-CNT-PEG into the PA@Fe\/CS-ADH network yielded conductive hydrogels with porous microstructures and storage modulus (G\u2032) higher than loss modulus (G\u2032\u2032) over the tested frequency range, indicating stable gel-like behavior. The hydrogels exhibited self-healing under alternating strain and macroscopic rejoining after cutting. Swelling and degradation studies demonstrated pH-dependent degradation, with faster degradation in mildly acidic conditions (pH 5.0), mimicking infected chronic diabetic wounds. The hydrogels adhered to diverse substrates and tolerated joint movements. Gel4 showed notable DPPH\u2022 and H2O2 scavenging (\u224865% and \u224860%, respectively, within several hours). The electrical conductivity was 0.19 \u00b1 0.0X mS\/cm for Gel0\u20133 and 0.21 \u00b1 0.0Y mS\/cm for Gel4 (mean \u00b1 SD, n = 3), falling within the range reported for human skin. In vitro, NIH3T3 cells maintained &gt;90% viability in the presence of hydrogel extracts, and hemolysis ratios remained below 5%. Hydrogels containing \u03b5-PL-CNT-PEG displayed enhanced antibacterial effects against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and NIR irradiation further reduced bacterial survival, with some formulations achieving near-complete inhibition under low-power (0.2\u20130.3 W\/cm2) 808 nm irradiation. Conclusions: A dynamic, conductive hydrogel based on PA@Fe, CS-ADH, and \u03b5-PL-CNT-PEG was successfully developed. The hydrogel combines photothermal antibacterial activity, antioxidant capacity, electrical conductivity, self-healing behavior, adhesiveness, cytocompatibility, and hemocompatibility. These properties suggest potential for application as a wound dressing for chronic diabetic wounds, including diabetic foot ulcers, although further in vivo studies are required to validate therapeutic efficacy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/polym18030332","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,26]],"date-time":"2026-01-26T15:48:30Z","timestamp":1769442510000},"page":"332","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["A Conductive, Photothermal and Antioxidant \u03b5-Poly-L-Lysine\/Carbon Nanotube Hydrogel as a Candidate Dressing for Chronic Diabetic Wounds"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Jinqiang","family":"Zhu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Bioactive Substances, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wenjun","family":"Qin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Bioactive Substances, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Bo","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Haining","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2872-2956","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cui","family":"Cheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiao","family":"Han","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiwen","family":"Jiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Bioactive Substances, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"American Diabetes Association (2018). Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2017. Diabetes Care, 41, 917\u2013928.","DOI":"10.2337\/dci18-0007"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"522","DOI":"10.1111\/1753-0407.12913","article-title":"Diabetes in developing countries","volume":"11","author":"Misra","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Diabetes"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"j5064","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.j5064","article-title":"Diabetic foot","volume":"359","author":"Mishra","year":"2017","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2367","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMra1615439","article-title":"Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Their Recurrence","volume":"376","author":"Armstrong","year":"2017","journal-title":"N. Engl. J. Med."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.1111\/iwj.12623","article-title":"Wound management for the 21st century: Combining effectiveness and efficiency","volume":"13","author":"Lindholm","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int. Wound J."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"34","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biomaterials.2017.01.011","article-title":"Antibacterial anti-oxidant electroactive injectable hydrogel as self-healing wound dressing with hemostasis and adhesiveness for cutaneous wound healing","volume":"122","author":"Zhao","year":"2017","journal-title":"Biomaterials"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"189","DOI":"10.1016\/j.carbpol.2015.02.034","article-title":"Carboxyl-modified poly(vinyl alcohol)-crosslinked chitosan hydrogel films for potential wound dressing","volume":"125","author":"Zhang","year":"2015","journal-title":"Carbohydr. Polym."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1203","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijbiomac.2018.04.010","article-title":"Incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles into heparinised polyvinyl alcohol\/chitosan hydrogels for wound dressing application","volume":"114","author":"Khorasani","year":"2018","journal-title":"Int. J. Biol. Macromol."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2872","DOI":"10.1021\/bm200326g","article-title":"In situ forming and rutin-releasing chitosan hydrogels as injectable dressings for dermal wound healing","volume":"12","author":"Tran","year":"2011","journal-title":"Biomacromolecules"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2108749","DOI":"10.1002\/adfm.202108749","article-title":"Bioinspired Integration of Naturally Occurring Molecules towards Universal and Smart Antibacterial Coatings","volume":"32","author":"Yang","year":"2021","journal-title":"Adv. Funct. Mater."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7078","DOI":"10.1021\/acsnano.1c00204","article-title":"Dual-Dynamic-Bond Cross-Linked Antibacterial Adhesive Hydrogel Sealants with On-Demand Removability for Post-Wound-Closure and Infected Wound Healing","volume":"15","author":"Liang","year":"2021","journal-title":"ACS Nano"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"374","DOI":"10.1016\/j.msec.2016.12.026","article-title":"Bioinspired fully physically cross-linked double network hydrogels with a robust, tough and self-healing structure","volume":"74","author":"Sabzi","year":"2017","journal-title":"Mater. Sci. Eng. C Mater. Biol. Appl."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"514","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcis.2019.08.083","article-title":"Mussel-inspired, antibacterial, conductive, antioxidant, injectable composite hydrogel wound dressing to promote the regeneration of infected skin","volume":"556","author":"Liang","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Colloid Interface Sci."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"237","DOI":"10.1016\/j.actbio.2019.12.010","article-title":"Biocompatible chitosan-carbon nanocage hybrids for sustained drug release and highly efficient laser and microwave co-irradiation induced cancer therapy","volume":"103","author":"Guo","year":"2020","journal-title":"Acta Biomater."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Katayama, Y., Naitoh, M., Kubota, H., Yamawaki, S., Aya, R., Ishiko, T., and Morimoto, N. (2020). Chondroitin Sulfate Promotes the Proliferation of Keloid Fibroblasts Through Activation of the Integrin and Protein Kinase B Pathways. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 21.","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms21061955"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"457","DOI":"10.1038\/nature04925","article-title":"Electrical signals control wound healing through phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase-gamma and PTEN","volume":"442","author":"Zhao","year":"2006","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"11","DOI":"10.1016\/j.matdes.2022.111284","article-title":"Graphene oxide-based injectable conductive hydrogel dressing with immunomodulatory for chronic infected diabetic wounds","volume":"224","author":"Ou","year":"2022","journal-title":"Mater. Des."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"120164","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biomaterials.2020.120164","article-title":"Application of conductive PPy\/SF composite scaffold and electrical stimulation for neural tissue engineering","volume":"255","author":"Zhao","year":"2020","journal-title":"Biomaterials"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e2101556","DOI":"10.1002\/adhm.202101556","article-title":"Extracellular Matrix-Based Conductive Interpenetrating Network Hydrogels with Enhanced Neurovascular Regeneration Properties for Diabetic Wounds Repair","volume":"11","author":"Fan","year":"2022","journal-title":"Adv. Healthc. Mater."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"119584","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biomaterials.2019.119584","article-title":"Conductive biomaterials for muscle tissue engineering","volume":"229","author":"Dong","year":"2020","journal-title":"Biomaterials"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6040","DOI":"10.1021\/cr400341h","article-title":"Safe clinical use of carbon nanotubes as innovative biomaterials","volume":"114","author":"Saito","year":"2014","journal-title":"Chem. Rev."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5366","DOI":"10.1021\/cr100018g","article-title":"Current progress on the chemical modification of carbon nanotubes","volume":"110","author":"Karousis","year":"2010","journal-title":"Chem. Rev."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3689","DOI":"10.1021\/cm020975d","article-title":"Surface Modification of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes: Toward the Tailoring of the Interface in Polymer Composites","volume":"15","author":"Eitan","year":"2003","journal-title":"Chem. Mater."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"426","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1147241","article-title":"Mussel-inspired surface chemistry for multifunctional coatings","volume":"318","author":"Lee","year":"2007","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"11600","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0502680102","article-title":"Carbon nanotubes as multifunctional biological transporters and near-infrared agents for selective cancer cell destruction","volume":"102","author":"Kam","year":"2005","journal-title":"Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1804838","DOI":"10.1002\/adma.201804838","article-title":"Antibacterial Carbon-Based Nanomaterials","volume":"31","author":"Xin","year":"2019","journal-title":"Adv. Mater."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"199","DOI":"10.1016\/j.actbio.2022.11.023","article-title":"Multifunctional hydrogel with reactive oxygen species scavenging and photothermal antibacterial activity accelerates infected diabetic wound healing","volume":"155","author":"He","year":"2023","journal-title":"Acta Biomater."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"728","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijbiomac.2020.12.202","article-title":"Multifunctional hydrogels for wound healing: Special focus on biomacromolecular based hydrogels","volume":"170","author":"Asadi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int. J. Biol. Macromol."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"tkaf037","DOI":"10.1093\/burnst\/tkaf037","article-title":"A multifunctional injectable \u03b5-poly-L-lysine-loaded sodium-alginate\/gelatin hydrogel promotes the healing of infected wounds by regulating macrophage polarization and the skin microbiota","volume":"13","author":"Zu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Burns Trauma"},{"key":"ref_30","first-page":"1","article-title":"Conductive Biomaterials as Bioactive Wound Dressing for Wound Healing and Skin Tissue Engineering","volume":"14","author":"Yu","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nanomicro Lett."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103306","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cis.2024.103306","article-title":"Recent advancements in bioadhesive self-healing hydrogels for effective chronic wound care","volume":"334","author":"Hasany","year":"2024","journal-title":"Adv. Colloid Interface Sci."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"316","DOI":"10.1111\/wrr.12890","article-title":"Antibiofilm activity of chitosan\/epsilon-poly-L-lysine hydrogels in a porcine ex vivo skin wound polymicrobial biofilm model","volume":"29","author":"Pati","year":"2021","journal-title":"Wound Repair. Regen."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e2500696","DOI":"10.1002\/advs.202500696","article-title":"An Intelligent and Conductive Hydrogel with Multiresponsive and ROS Scavenging Properties for Infection Prevention and Anti-Inflammatory Treatment Assisted by Electrical Stimulation for Diabetic Wound","volume":"12","author":"Zhang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Adv. Sci."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8606","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.biomac.5c01549","article-title":"Fault-Tolerant Adhesive Intelligent Hydrogels Accelerate Diabetic Wound Healing through On-Demand Release of Photothermal\/Nitric Oxide and Real-Time Monitoring","volume":"26","author":"Shi","year":"2025","journal-title":"Biomacromolecules"}],"container-title":["Polymers"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2073-4360\/18\/3\/332\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]],"date-time":"2026-02-03T05:13:46Z","timestamp":1770095626000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2073-4360\/18\/3\/332"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,26]]},"references-count":34,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2]]}},"alternative-id":["polym18030332"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/polym18030332","relation":{},"ISSN":["2073-4360"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2073-4360","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,26]]}}}