In situ cross-linked polysaccharide hydrogel as extracellular matrix mimics for antibiotics delivery

•We use chitosan and dextran which is natural polysaccharides as the materials of hydrogel.•We use the hydrogel for wound healing, and it has better antibacterial properties than other wound dressings.•The hydrogel are synthesized in 37 °C easily and show good swelling properties and regular porous structure.

Many synthetic hydrogels for drug delivery have been based on polyethylene glycol which is non-natural, non-biodegradable and only terminal-functionalizable. The polysaccharides dextran and chitosan not only are highly hydrophilic, biodegradable and pendant-functionalizable, but also more closely mimic the nature extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycans. Here, a biomimetic hydrogel based on chitosan and dextran was synthesized by the Michael addition reaction. The hydrogels have good swelling and cytocompatibility against NIH3T3. Moreover, vancomycin-loaded hydrogels were formed in situ, and could kill both Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria, indicating that the hydrogel as a wound dressing could provide protection against bacterial infection. Notably, the drug release was controlled via modifying the compositions. Therefore, the biomimetic polysaccharide hydrogels as a promising carrier have potential application for wound healing.