Gallic Acid Nanocrystal Hydrogel: A Novel Strategy for Promoting Wound Healing and Inhibiting Scar Formation

The study introduces GC-NCs-Gel, a novel gallic acid nanocrystal hydrogel, which enhances wound healing and reduces scar formation. This hydrogel, tested in a rat skin defect model, showed improved biocompatibility, wound healing efficiency, and significant antimicrobial and antioxidant activities compared to traditional treatments. It demonstrated excellent physicochemical properties, including formability, flexibility, and permeability, with a suitable water vapor transmission rate for maintaining a moist wound environment. The GC-NCs-Gel promoted granulation tissue formation, collagen deposition, epidermal regeneration, and neovascularization, while reducing inflammation by increasing anti-inflammatory factors and decreasing pro-inflammatory factors. These findings suggest that GC-NCs-Gel is a promising transdermal drug delivery system for clinical wound treatment.