AccScience Publishing / IJB / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/IJB026090080
RESEARCH ARTICLE

3D-printed dual-crosslinked hydrogel scaffold loaded with ginger-derived exosomes for enhanced infected wound healing

Shuhao Yang1† Yidong Shen1,2† Haoming Wu3† Jixin Zhou3 Yingying Chen3 Jiayu Liu3 Yixuan Lan3 Kaichen Shen1 Wei Huang1* Leilei Qin1* Hai Wang4*
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1 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chongqing Municipal Health Commission Key Laboratory of Musculoskeletal Regeneration and Translational Medicine/Orthopaedic, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400010, China
2 Department of Orthopaedics, Yancheng First Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Yancheng, Nanjing 210006, China
3 School of Preclinical Medicine of Chengdu University, Clinical Medical College and Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University, Chengdu University, Sichuan 610106, China
4 Department of Orthopaedics, Chongqing University Fuling Hospital, Chongqing 400044, China
†These authors contributed equally to this work.
Received: 28 February 2026 | Revised: 13 April 2026 | Accepted: 28 April 2026 | Published online: 1 May 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Infected wounds pose a significant clinical challenge, as persistent bacterial colonization exacerbates inflammation, disrupts the local immune microenvironment, and delays tissue repair. Here, we report the development of a 3D printing dual-crosslinked hydrogel scaffold loaded with ginger-derived exosome-like vesicles (GPP@G-ELNs) to promote healing of infected full-thickness wounds. The hydrogel was fabricated by combining GelMA-PBA and PVA to form a dual-network structure, followed by photo-crosslinking and 3D printing, and then loaded with G-ELNs. The bioactivity of the scaffold was evaluated in an infected rat wound model, focusing on wound closure, angiogenesis, antibacterial efficacy, and immunomodulatory effects. Treatment with GPP@G-ELNs hydrogel significantly accelerated wound healing, reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, promoted collagen deposition, and enhanced angiogenesis. Moreover, the hydrogel exhibited potent antibacterial activity, with ginger-derived exosomes playing a critical role in modulating macrophage polarization and controlling local immune responses. These findings demonstrate that the 3D printing GPP@G-ELNs hydrogel provides an integrated platform for infection control, immunoregulation, and tissue regeneration, offering promising potential for clinical application in the management of infected wounds.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Infected wound healing
3D printing
Dual-crosslinked hydrogel
Exosomes
Infection control
Funding
This work was supported by the Chongqing Natural Science Foundation General Project under Grant CSTB2024NSCQ-MSX0921. Scientific Research Project of the Fuling District of Chongqing under Grant 2024AAN3057.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing