Oral wounds under diabetic conditions display a significant
delay
during the healing process, mainly due to oxidative stress-induced
inflammatory status and abnormal immune responses. Besides, the wet
and complicated dynamic environment of the oral cavity impedes stable
treatment of oral wounds. To overcome these, a biomimetic hydrogel
adhesive was innovatively developed based on a mussel-inspired multifunctional
structure. The adhesive displays efficient adhesion and mechanical
harmony on the oral mucosa through enhanced bonding in an acidic proinflammatory
environment. The bioadhesive hydrogel exhibits excellent antioxidative
properties by mimicking antioxidative enzymatic activities to reverse
reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated immune disorders. Experiments
on oral wounds of diabetic rats showed that this hydrogel adhesive
could effectively protect against mucosal wounds and obviously shorten
the inflammatory phase, thus promoting the wound-healing process.
Therefore, this study offers a promising therapeutic choice with the
potential to advance the clinical treatment of diabetic oral wounds.