Nanobiotechnology: Applications in Chronic Wound Healing

Abstract

Wounds occur when skin integrity is broken and the skin is damaged. With progressive changes in the disease spectrum, the acute wounds caused by mechanical trauma have been become less common, while chronic wounds triggered with aging, diabetes and infection have become more frequent. Chronic wounds now affect more than 6 million people in the United States, amounting to 10 billion dollars in annual expenditure. However, the treatment of chronic wounds is associated with numerous challenges. Traditional remedies for chronic wounds include skin grafting, flap transplantation, negative-pressure wound therapy, and gauze dressing, all of which can cause tissue damage or activity limitations. Nanobiotechnology - which comprises a diverse array of technologies derived from engineering, chemistry, and biology - is now being applied in biomedical practice. Here, we review the design, application, and clinical trials for nanotechnology-based therapies for chronic wound healing, highlighting the clinical potential of nanobiotechnology in such treatments. By summarizing previous nanobiotechnology studies, we lay the foundation for future wound care via a nanotech-based multifunctional smart system.

Keywords: cell-carrying systems; chronic wound healing; nanobiotechnology; scaffold systems; stimuli-responsive systems.

Figure 1

Phases of wound healing, including the hemostasis, inflammatory, proliferation, and remodeling phase.

Figure 2

Nanoplatform for chronic wound healing.

Figure 3

Schematic of a CPB/EPC construct that promotes wound healing. CPB enhances cell proliferation, collagen deposition, and EPC differentiation via the Hif-1α/VEGF/SDF-1α pathway. This results in the rapid vascularization and healing of full-thickness wounds.

Figure 4

Wound healing effect of a scaffold based on GO NPs.