Zn‐MOF Encapsulated Antibacterial and Degradable Microneedles Array for Promoting Wound Healing

TLDR

Infected skin wounds remain a major clinical challenge, and dressings that combine antibacterial activity with regenerative capacity are highly sought after. This study develops a degradable, ductile microneedle array made of Zn‑MOF‑encapsulated methacrylated hyaluronic acid to promote wound healing. The microneedles release zinc ions that disrupt bacterial capsules and mitigate oxidative stress, while the photo‑crosslinked, degradable hyaluronic acid matrix steadily delivers active ingredients and generates low‑molecular‑weight HA that supports tissue regeneration. The Zn‑MOF microneedles markedly accelerate epithelial regeneration and neovascularization, demonstrating that integrating MOFs with degradable microneedles offers significant wound‑healing benefits.

Abstract

An infected skin wound caused by external injury remains a serious challenge in clinical practice. Wound dressings with the properties of antibacterial activity and potent regeneration capacity are highly desirable for wound healing. In this paper, a degradable, ductile, and wound-friendly Zn-MOF encapsulated methacrylated hyaluronic acid (MeHA) microneedles (MNs) array is fabricated through the molding method for promoting wound healing. Due to the damage capability against the bacteria capsule and oxidative stress of the zinc ion released from the Zn-MOF, such MNs array presents excellent antibacterial activity, as well as considerable biocompatibility. Besides, the degradable MNs array composed of photo-crosslinked MeHA possesses the superior capabilities to continuously and steadily release the loaded active ingredients and avoid secondary damage to the wound. Moreover, the low molecular weight hyaluronic acid (HA) generated by hydrolysis of MeHA is also conducive to tissue regeneration. Benefiting from these features, it has been demonstrated that the Zn-MOF encapsulated degradable MNs array can dramatically accelerate epithelial regeneration and neovascularization. These results indicate that the combination of MOFs and degradable MNs array is of great value for promoting wound healing.