Damage to the skin barrier renders wounds susceptible to bacterial invasion, resulting in a heightened risk of infection and delayed tissue repair. With advances in materials science and biomedical engineering, antimicrobial hydrogels have emerged as promising dressing candidates for the management of both acute and chronic wounds. Owing to their high water content, excellent biocompatibility, and tunable mechanical and chemical properties, these hydrogels create a moist wound environment, facilitate cell migration, and enable localized antimicrobial regulation. In recent years, the antimicrobial efficacy, tissue-repair capacity, and multifunctionality of hydrogels have been substantially enhanced through the incorporation of inorganic nano-antimicrobial agents, the loading of therapeutic drugs or antimicrobial peptides, and the design of polymer networks with intrinsic bactericidal activity. This review systematically summarizes the main categories, construction strategies, and bactericidal mechanisms of antimicrobial hydrogels, with particular emphasis on their key performance features and advantages in wound healing, as well as an analysis of current challenges in their development. Finally, we provide an outlook on future research directions, including intelligent responsiveness, long-term antimicrobial functionality, personalized therapeutic strategies, and clinical translation. Overall, this review aims to offer insight and guidance for the advancement of efficient and safe antimicrobial hydrogel dressings.
Wang et al. (2026) studied this question.