The antioxidant, antibacterial and infected wound healing effects of Dioscorea opposita polysaccharide‑zinc oxide nanocomposites.

Dioscorea opposita polysaccharide-ZnO nanocomposites (DOP-ZnO) were prepared via a hydrothermal method and characterized using SEM, TEM, XRD, FT-IR, and XPS. DOP-ZnO exhibited a uniform spherical morphology with an average particle size of 201.3 ± 27.1 nm. The C-O-Zn coordination bonds were established between DOP and ZnO nanoparticles, leading to excellent dispersibility and storage stability (at 4 °C over 21 days). DOP-ZnO showed potent hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity (approximately 99.6% at 3.2 mg/mL) comparable to vitamin C, and concentration-dependent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with maximum inhibition rates of 99.2 ± 0.2% and 83.6 ± 0.8% at 20 mg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, DOP-ZnO (20 mg/mL) accelerated full-thickness wound healing in BALB/c mice, achieving therapeutic efficacy equivalent to levofloxacin on day 7. Biocompatibility assays demonstrated the hemolysis rate < 5%, stable organ indices and body weight, normal histomorphology, and negligible cytotoxicity (cell viability >80% at ≤25 μg/mL for RAW264.7, 293 T, and NE3 cells). Additionally, DOP-ZnO significantly downregulated pro-inflammatory TNF-α and IL-1β secretion, alleviated local excessive inflammation, and facilitated collagen deposition and re-epithelialization. Hence, the results demonstrated that DOP-ZnO nanocomposites integrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and biocompatible properties of DOP with the antibacterial and pro-regenerative functions of ZnO nanoparticles, suggesting that DOP-ZnO is a promising multifunctional biomaterial for wound care applications.