ε-Poly(L-lysine)-based Hydrogels with Fast-acting and Prolonged Antibacterial Activities

Bacterial infections and the associated morbidity and mortality due to bacterial pathogens in wounds and medical implants have been increasing as most of current coatings cannot fulfill all the requirements including excellent intrinsically antibacterial activity, low cytotoxicity, and favorable physical properties. Herein, we present a kind of antibacterial hydrogel based on ε-poly(L-lysine) (EPL) grafted carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC-g-EPL) as the inherently antibacterial matrix and the surplus EPL as highly efficient antimicrobial agent. Such hydrogels possess tunable swelling abilities with water absorption percentages of 800%-2000% and modulus varying from 10 kPa to 100 kPa, and exhibit two-stage excellent antibacterial behavior. First, the free EPL can be released from the hydrogel network for quick and highly efficient bacteria killing with 99.99% of efficacy; second, the grafted EPL endows hydrogel matrix with prolonged intrinsically antibacterial activity, especially when most of free EPL is released from the hydrogel. Overall, we provide a new insight for preparing highly effective antibacterial hydrogels.