Chitosan oligosaccharide (COS), a time-dependent antimicrobial carbohydrate, is found antifungal active with a short duration of action due to excessive solubility. We attempted to address this issue by employing a hydrogel as a COS carrier. In this research, macroporous zwitterionic composite cryogels composed of COS and poly(N-methacryl arginine) (PMarg) were fabricated, serving as long-term antifungal dressings. Firstly, Marg was synthesized and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Then, the COS/PMarg cryogels were prepared by redox initiation cryopolymerization. The macroporous morphology of the cryogels was confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) with pore size varying from 20.86 to 50.87 μm. FTIR indicated that hydrogen bonding formed between COS and PMarg, and the interaction elevated thermal stability of the cryogels as evidenced by thermal-gravimetric analysis (TGA). Swelling capacity, mechanical properties, and COS release behavior of the COS/PMarg cryogels were investigated. With the release of COS, the antifouling activity of the cryogel increased. Antimicrobial tests indicated the COS/PMarg cryogel could effectively inhibit the proliferation of Candida albicans. It demonstrated that the macroporous zwitterionic COS/PMarg composite cryogel might be a potential antifungal dressing with sequential “sterilization-release” capacity.

壳聚糖寡糖 (COS) 是一种时间依赖性抗菌碳水化合物，由于溶解度过大而具有抗真菌活性，但作用持续时间很短。我们试图通过使用水凝胶作为 COS 载体来解决这个问题。在本研究中，制备了由 COS 和聚（N-甲基丙烯酰精氨酸）（PMarg）组成的大孔两性离子复合冷冻凝胶，用作长期抗真菌敷料。首先，合成 Marg 并通过傅里叶变换红外光谱 (FT-IR)、¹ H 和¹³C 核磁共振 (NMR) 和高分辨率质谱 (HRMS)。然后，通过氧化还原引发低温聚合制备 COS/PMarg 冷冻凝胶。通过扫描电子显微镜（SEM）证实了冷冻凝胶的大孔形态，孔径从 20.86 到 50.87 μm 不等。FTIR 表明 COS 和 PMarg 之间形成了氢键，热重分析 (TGA) 证明了这种相互作用提高了冷冻凝胶的热稳定性。研究了 COS/PMarg 冷冻凝胶的溶胀能力、机械性能和 COS 释放行为。随着COS的释放，冷冻凝胶的防污活性增加。抗菌试验表明COS/PMarg冷冻凝胶可有效抑制白色念珠菌的增殖. 结果表明，大孔两性离子 COS/PMarg 复合冷冻凝胶可能是一种具有连续“杀菌-释放”能力的潜在抗真菌敷料。