A review of current advancements for wound healing: Biomaterial applications and medical devices

Abstract

Wound healing is a complex process that is critical in restoring the skin's barrier function. This process can be interrupted by numerous diseases resulting in chronic wounds that represent a major medical burden. Such wounds fail to follow the stages of healing and are often complicated by a pro‐inflammatory milieu attributed to increased proteinases, hypoxia, and bacterial accumulation. The comprehensive treatment of chronic wounds is still regarded as a significant unmet medical need due to the complex symptoms caused by the metabolic disorder of the wound microenvironment. As a result, several advanced medical devices, such as wound dressings, wearable wound monitors, negative pressure wound therapy devices, and surgical sutures, have been developed to correct the chronic wound environment and achieve skin tissue regeneration. Most medical devices encompass a wide range of products containing natural (e.g., chitosan, keratin, casein, collagen, hyaluronic acid, alginate, and silk fibroin) and synthetic (e.g., polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, poly[lactic‐co‐glycolic acid], polycaprolactone, polylactic acid) polymers, as well as bioactive molecules (e.g., chemical drugs, silver, growth factors, stem cells, and plant compounds). This review addresses these medical devices with a focus on biomaterials and applications, aiming to deliver a critical theoretical reference for further research on chronic wound healing.

Keratose Self-Cross-Linked Wound Dressing for Iron Sequestration in Chronic Wounds

“…Thus, they are often impregnated with hydrophobic coatings such as petroleum jelly and waxes to increase their durability and their liquid resistance. Modern dressings are more focused on the environmental wound problem, and therefore, the bandages are generally enriched with compounds that contain growth factors able to increase angiogenesis and decrease fibrosis . The four classic dressing types are foam, hydrocolloid, hydrogels, and films.…”

The Year 2022 in biomaterials research: A perspective from the editors of six leading journals

“…The top two most downloaded articles for 2022 were open‐access review articles: M. Azam Ali et al (University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand), “A review of current advancements for wound healing: Biomaterial applications and medical devices” 75 and Van der Borre et al (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium), “How surface coatings on titanium implants affect keratinized tissue: A systematic review” 76 . The two top‐most downloaded research articles were: De Meurechy et al (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium), “Surface wear in a custom manufactured temporomandibular joint prosthesis”, 77 and Schulten et al (RWTH Aachen University, Germany), “A polyurethane‐based surgical adhesive for sealing blood vessel anastomoses—A feasibility study in pigs” 78 .…”

Advances in the Physico-Chemical, Antimicrobial and Angiogenic Properties of Graphene-Oxide/Cellulose Nanocomposites for Wound Healing

“…Ointments in the form of cream or natural oils, gels, gauzes, and bandages are among the wound dressings currently available, due to their unique combination of high water content, softness, flexibility, and biocompatibility [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. They generally consist of natural (e.g., chitosan, cellulose, keratin, casein, collagen, hyaluronic acid, alginate, and silk fibroin) and/or synthetic (e.g., polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, poly[lactic-co-glycolic acid], polycaprolactone, polylactic acid) polymers, and also bioactive compounds (e.g., chemical drugs, metallic nanoparticles, GFs, stem cells, and plant extracts) [ 9 ]. Furthermore, the advent of smart wound dressings by using 3D printing has revolutionized wound care management [ 5 , 10 , 11 ].…”