Hyaluronic Acid Electrostatically Grafted Quaternary Ammonium Salt: Preparation and Outstanding Antibacterial Performance

Abstract

Wound infections have imposed substantial medical and economic burdens globally. Medical antibacterial dressings have garnered widespread attention, as they enable antibiotic-free treatment of wound infections─addressing the growing concern over antibiotic resistance while promoting wound healing. Herein, a series of hyaluronic acid (HA)-based antibacterial materials were successfully fabricated via electrostatic grafting of quaternary ammonium salts (QASs) onto the HA. The resulting HA-TPeAs and HA-THAs exhibited remarkable antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 0.25 and 0.004 mg/mL, respectively. Notably, these materials also demonstrated unexpectedly potent inhibitory effects against Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) at an MIC of 0.032 mg/mL. These findings validate the feasibility of the electrostatic grafting strategy for QAS modification of HA, providing a novel and efficient approach for the development of HA-based antibacterial materials. Furthermore, a HA-THA-based hydrogel was constructed using 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether (BDDE) as the cross-linking agent. This hydrogel possessed potent antibacterial activity against the above-mentioned bacteria, along with satisfactory biocompatibility and appropriate mechanical properties, making it well-suited for medical dressing applications. Collectively, the HA-THA-based hydrogel emerges as a highly promising candidate for the development of medical antibacterial dressings.