Carrier-Free, Injectable Hydrogel Formed by Self-Assembled Nanofibers of Antimicrobial and Anti-inflammatory Peptide for Wound Healing

Multidrug-resistant bacterial infections pose a serious threat to human health and safety and impose an increasingly significant economic burden. Bacterial infections often lead to an excessive inflammatory response in wounds, which, in turn, exacerbates bacterial infection and results in delayed wound healing. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are believed to be powerful weapons against multidrug-resistant bacteria. Here, we report an injectable, carrier-free hydrogel, formed by the self-assembled nanofibers of the AMP W-J-1, for the treatment of resistant bacterially infected wounds. The hydrogel exhibits antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties without the addition of any other additional drugs or chemicals. In a mouse model of MRSA-infected wounds, the W-J-1 hydrogel effectively inhibits bacterial growth, reduces inflammation, and accelerates wound healing. Furthermore, it does not cause changes in blood indicators or organ damage after 21 days of treatment. This promising peptide hydrogel offers the potential for the treatment of drug-resistant bacterial infections in wounds, providing a strategy for the development of dual-functional wound dressings with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.