A light-responsive multilayered 3D porous Ga2 O3 hydrogel for photocatalytic antibacterial therapy promoting healing of MDR S. aureus -infected wounds

The skin wound is susceptible to bacterial invasion, which hinders the healing of the wound, especially when infected with multi-drug resistant strains. This demands novel bioactive materials to combat bacterial infections. In this study, gallium oxide nanoparticles (Ga2 O3 NPs) were successfully synthesized through high-temperature thermal decomposition, exhibiting excellent biocompatibility and photocatalytic antimicrobial activity. The Ga2 O3 NPs were crosslinked into chitosan hydrogel to create a lightresponsive multilayered 3D porous hydrogel (Ga2 O3 NPs hydrogel) for use in photocatalytic antimicrobial therapy (PCAT). The prepared Ga2 O3 NPs hydrogel exhibits broad-spectrum photocatalytic activity and remarkable antibacterial efficacy against E. coli and S. aureus . It effectively eradicates biofilms, promotes reactive oxygen species production, disrupts bacterial cell membranes, and induces nucleic acid leakage, ultimately resulting in bacterial death. Additionally, it exhibits excellent biosafety. Both in vitro pigskin and in vivo mouse wound infection models have confirmed the remarkable efficacy of Ga2 O3 NPs hydrogel in PCAT. Notably, Ga2 O3 NPs hydrogel created a moist environment for the wound in an MDR S. aureus -infected mouse wound model, demonstrating significant potential to facilitate wound healing and minimize scar formation. This study introduces a novel hydrogel dressing without antibiotic components for resistant bacterial-infected wounds. (c) 2025 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.