Antimicrobial hydrogels containing metal and metal oxide nanoparticles for wound healing

Abstract

Currently, antimicrobial hydrogels have gained popularity in the wound healing field due to the existence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the infected wound regions. A lot of investigations have been reported on the development of novel antimicrobial hydrogel structures to inhibit and/or control the propagation of bacterial infections. Fabrication of antimicrobial hydrogels with multifunctional properties is easy to feasible approach. The 3D crosslinked structure, high swelling capacity, and biocompatibility properties make them favorable materials to combine with metal and metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs). Various metal and metal oxide NPs, such as silver, gold, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, magnesium oxide, and copper oxide. have been incorporated into the hydrogels to be a suitable candidate for wound healing applications. Here, recent advancements in the antimicrobial properties of metal and metal oxide NP-loaded hydrogels have been discussed and summarized. © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.