Borrowing the Features of Biopolymers for Emerging Wound Healing Dressings: A Review

Abstract

Wound dressing design is a dynamic and rapidly growing field of the medical wound-care market worldwide. Advances in technology have resulted in the development of a wide range of wound dressings that treat different types of wounds by targeting the four phases of healing. The ideal wound dressing should perform rapid healing; preserve the body’s water content; be oxygen permeable, non-adherent on the wound and hypoallergenic; and provide a barrier against external contaminants—at a reasonable cost and with minimal inconvenience to the patient. Therefore, choosing the best dressing should be based on what the wound needs and what the dressing does to achieve complete regeneration and restoration of the skin’s structure and function. Biopolymers, such as alginate (ALG), chitosan (Cs), collagen (Col), hyaluronic acid (HA) and silk fibroin (SF), are extensively used in wound management due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability and similarity to macromolecules recognized by the human body. However, most of the formulations based on biopolymers still show various issues; thus, strategies to combine them with molecular biology approaches represent the future of wound healing. Therefore, this article provides an overview of biopolymers’ roles in wound physiology as a perspective on the development of a new generation of enhanced, naturally inspired, smart wound dressings based on blood products, stem cells and growth factors.

Natural polymers used in the dressing materials for wound healing: Past, present and future

“…The utilization of natural polymers in combination with blood components, growth factors, or cells that simulate synergistic therapeutic processes and stimulate crucial regeneration systems beneficial in healing is an effective option in the wound-care field. 216 Polymeric nanoparticles of natural origin in combination with biomolecules, growth factors, and drugs to create scaffolds with improved mechanical strength could also solve the limitations of the present wound healing materials. 217 Antibacterial and biodegradable nanoparticles are combined to develop hybrid nanocomposite which may enhance healing of wounds.…”

Recent advances in modified poly (lactic acid) as tissue engineering materials

“…In addition to the above, the use of biopolymers in tissue engineering has characteristics of great interest, among which we can count on biocompatibility, bioactivity, non-toxicity, biodegradation, adaptable mechanical properties, and a biopolymer synthesis process of great convenience; all of these focused on the improvement of biological structures that mimic the body despite the use of synthetic polymers that although this might seem to generate incompatibility problems. The use of these natural or synthetic biopolymers allows adaptability to generate ideal materials that allow the functionality of the tissue, in addition to the fact that the area of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine emphasizes the use of these novel techniques for the essential goals of allowing the repair of damaged tissues or organs and that they continue to have origin from biofunctionality [73][74][75][76][77][78].…”

Bio‐based polymers containing traditional medicinal fillers for wound healing applications – An evaluation of neoteric development and future perspectives

“…Because of their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and resemblance to macromolecules recognized by the human body, biopolymers such as alginate, chitosan, collagen, and hyaluronic acid have been widely employed in wound therapy over the past 5 years. [ 77 ] Although most biopolymer‐based formulations exhibit various problems, new, creative ways were developed and flourished by combining them with molecular biology techniques.…”