Kemal Bas, Serdar Karakurt
Acute full‑thickness skin wounds represent a significant clinical challenge due to tissue loss, risk of bacterial contamination, and the need for rapid and effective regeneration. Injectable thermosensitive hydrogels incorporating antibacterial nanomaterials represent a promising strategy for advanced wound care. In this study, a multifunctional hydrogel composed of Graphene oxide (GO), branched polyethyleneimine (BPEI), and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) dispersed in Pluronic F127 was developed and evaluated for wound healing applications. The GO-BPEI-AgNP nanocomposite was synthesized via amidation and microwave-assisted methods and characterized using DLS, UV-vis, FTIR, XRD, and SEM-EDX analyses. Biocompatibility was assessed in HaCaT keratinocytes using the Alamar Blue assay, while scratch assays and antibacterial activity against. In vivo wound healing efficacy and histopathological changes were evaluated in a rat full-thickness skin wound model, together with qRT-PCR analysis of wound-healing-related genes. The hydrogel exhibited favorable injectability, nanoscale morphology, and high biocompatibility (IC50: 246.7 µg/mL). It significantly enhanced keratinocyte migration and demonstrated antibacterial activity. In vivo findings revealed accelerated wound closure, enhanced epidermal regeneration, and modulation of PDGFA, VEGFC, COL1A1, TIMP1, and MMP9 expression. Collectively, the GO‑BPEI‑AgNP hydrogel shows strong potential as an injectable antibacterial biomaterial for acute full‑thickness wound repair, with potential relevance to infection‑associated wound environments.