Engineered Sulfonated Bacterial Cellulose Hydrogel with Dual Bioactive-Drug Delivery Functions for Precision Treatment of Psoriasis

  • Biomacromolecules. 2025 Oct 16. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.5c01417.
Liangliang Zhang  1 ,  Xvyue Zhou  1 ,  Xinmeng Li  2 ,  Kun Wang  3 ,  Peng Zhou  2 ,  Weixiao Ding  2 ,  Jian Cui  2 ,  Yalei Qiao  2 ,  Shudai Huang  1 ,  Chao Luan  1 ,  Lei Zhang  2 ,  Kun Chen  1 ,  Jiaan Zhang  1
Affiliations
  • 1. Hospital for Skin Diseases, Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing 210042, China.
  • 2. Institute of Chemicobiology and Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China.
  • 3. School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China.
PMID: 41102014 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.5c01417
Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin disorder driven by dysregulated keratinocyte-immune interactions and oxidative stress. To address limitations of conventional therapies, we engineered a sulfated Bacterial cellulose/chitosan hydrogel that integrates intrinsic bioactivity with controlled methotrexate delivery (MTX-SBC/CS Gel). Sulfonation introduced sulfonic groups, conferring potent ROS-scavenging activity while optimizing drug compatibility and release kinetics. Chitosan enabled self-healing and bioadhesion through hydrogen-bonding networks. Molecular simulations and experiments revealed how sulfonic groups modulate drug-polymer interactions. In imiquimod-induced psoriatic models, MTX-SBC/CS Gel exhibited therapeutic efficacy comparable to that of the clinical standard betamethasone, with SBC alone showing beneficial effects; both accelerated epidermal normalization, and cytokine suppression. Transcriptomics identified SBC's multimodal mechanism: downregulation of IL-23/Th17 axis components, inhibition of keratinocyte hyperproliferation, and restoration of redox homeostasis via HSP90α-mediated pathways. The synergistic integration of sulfonation-enabled ROS scavenging, and optimized MTX release kinetics establishes this engineered hydrogel as a promising platform for the management of dermatoses.

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