A glucose-triggered cascade catalytic adhesive hydrogel enables mild photothermal-biofilm eradication for infected diabetic wounds.

Delayed healing in chronic diabetic wounds is primarily driven by the hyperglycemic microenvironment and persistent bacterial biofilm infection, making biofilm eradication under mild therapeutic conditions highly challenging. Herein, we designed an injectable glucose-responsive cascade catalytic adhesive hydrogel (STU@Au) for mild-temperature photothermal-catalytic synergistic therapy of infected diabetic wounds. This hydrogel integrates gold nanoclusters with glucose oxidase-like activity and photothermal properties into an adhesive matrix (STU) constructed from silk fibroin and tannic acid via urea-regulated hydrogen bonding. Upon injection, the fluidic STU@Au adaptively conforms to wound sites. At the same time, outward diffusion of urea induces hydrogel solidification through hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen-bond rearrangement, achieving stable in situ sealing of moist wound surfaces. Within the hyperglycemic microenvironment, gold nanoclusters catalyze the conversion of glucose into hydrogen peroxide. Under near-infrared irradiation, the plasmonic photothermal effect further converts hydrogen peroxide into highly reactive hydroxyl radicals while depleting endogenous glutathione within bacteria, weakening their antioxidant defenses and enabling effective bacterial eradication and biofilm disruption under mild-temperature conditions without obvious thermal damage to surrounding tissues. Through the synergistic integration of glucose consumption, reactive oxygen species generation, bacterial defense attenuation, and mild photothermal enhancement, STU@Au markedly accelerates infected diabetic wound healing, providing a promising therapeutic strategy for chronic wound management.