Applications of MXene and its modified materials in skin wound repair

Abstract

The rapid healing and repair of skin wounds has been receiving much clinical attention. Covering the wound with wound dressing to promote wound healing is currently the main treatment for skin wound repair. However, the performance of wound dressing prepared by a single material is limited and cannot meet the requirements of complex conditions for wound healing. MXene is a new two-dimensional material with electrical conductivity, antibacterial and photothermal properties and other physical and biological properties, which has a wide range of applications in the field of biomedicine. Based on the pathophysiological process of wound healing and the properties of ideal wound dressing, this review will introduce the preparation and modification methods of MXene, systematically summarize and review the application status and mechanism of MXene in skin wound healing, and provide guidance for subsequent researchers to further apply MXene in the design of skin wound dressing.

Keywords: MXene; antibacterial; biocompatibility; conductivity; skin wound repair.

SCHEME 1

Schematic diagram of this review.

FIGURE 1

The stages of wound repair and their major cellular components (Wilkinson and Hardman, 2020).

FIGURE 2

General element composition of MAX phase and MXene: M: early transition metal, A: Group A element, X: C and/or N, Tx: surface functional group (Zamhuri et al., 2021).

FIGURE 3

Structure of MXene. SEM images of (A) MXene-Ti3C2 and (B) the high-magnification of (A). (Wang et al., 2015).

FIGURE 4

Biocompatibility of MXene-modified sponges in vivo and vitro (A) Representative images and (B) migration scratch assay of L292 and HaCaT at 48 and 0 h after scratching and treatment with 0.5 mg/ml of each sample. In vivo assessment of the sponges for wound healing (C) Photographic snapshots of temporal development of healing wounds for the different sponges in 0, 3, 7, and 9 days, respectively. (D) Wound closure rate of different sponges at different healing times (E) H&E staining and Masson staining images of the wound section at the 13th day for each group, respectively (Li et al., 2022b).

FIGURE 5

Antibacterial ability of MXene-modified MXene@PVA hydrogel (A) Photograph of bacterial colonies of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus treated with different concentrations of MXene. (C) Photograph of bacterial colonies formed by Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus treated with the PVA hydrogel, the PVA hydrogel + NIR, MXene@PVA hydrogel (1 mg/ml MXene) and the MXene@PVA hydrogel (1 mg/ml MXene) + NIR. The power density was 1.5 W/cm², and the operation time was 10 min (B); (D) corresponding survival rates for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus (Li et al., 2022a).

FIGURE 6

Schematic illustration of the preparation and application of NIR-responsive MXene-based hydrogel system. (A) The formation and drug release process of the MXene-based hydrogel system. (B) Deep chronic infected wound treated with NIR responsive AgNPs-loaded MXene-based hydrogel system. (Yang et al., 2022b).

FIGURE 7

Hemostatic ability of MXene modified material M-CNF (A, B) Hemolysis image and hemolysis ratios of the M-CNF-x extracts. (C) SEM images of blood cells and platelets adhesion on the CNF, M-CNF-15 and M-CNF-20 surface (Li et al., 2022d).

FIGURE 8

Schematic illustration of the fabrication of MXene-modified PMP hydrogels and their application in skin wound healing (Liu et al., 2022b).

FIGURE 9

Schematic illustration of MXene@PDA Nanosheets. (A) Synthesis Diagram of MXene@PDA Nanosheets. (B) Schematic Illustrations of Injectable HA-DA/MXene@PDA Hydrogel Preparation. (C) Infected Diabetic Wound Healing Mechanism of HA-DA/MXene@PDA Hydrogel through Supplying O2, Scavenging ROS, Eradicating Bacteria, and Inhibiting Inflammation. (Li et al., 2022f).