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Review
. 2023 Sep 4;15(17):3648.
doi: 10.3390/polym15173648.

Modern Approaches in Wounds Management

Simona-Maria Tatarusanu  1   2 , Florentina-Geanina Lupascu  1 , Bianca-Stefania Profire  3 , Andrei Szilagyi  4 , Ioannis Gardikiotis  4 , Andreea-Teodora Iacob  1 , Iulian Caluian  1 , Lorena Herciu  1 , Tudor-Catalin Giscă  5 , Mihaela-Cristina Baican  6 , Florina Crivoi  6 , Lenuta Profire  1
Affiliations
Review

Modern Approaches in Wounds Management

Simona-Maria Tatarusanu et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

Wound management represents a well-known continuous challenge and concern of the global healthcare systems worldwide. The challenge is on the one hand related to the accurate diagnosis, and on the other hand to establishing an effective treatment plan and choosing appropriate wound care products in order to maximize the healing outcome and minimize the financial cost. The market of wound dressings is a dynamic field which grows and evolves continuously as a result of extensive research on developing versatile formulations with innovative properties. Hydrogels are one of the most attractive wound care products which, in many aspects, are considered ideal for wound treatment and are widely exploited for extension of their advantages in healing process. Smart hydrogels (SHs) offer the opportunities of the modulation physico-chemical properties of hydrogels in response to external stimuli (light, pressure, pH variations, magnetic/electric field, etc.) in order to achieve innovative behavior of their three-dimensional matrix (gel-sol transitions, self-healing and self-adapting abilities, controlled release of drugs). The SHs response to different triggers depends on their composition, cross-linking method, and manufacturing process approach. Both native or functionalized natural and synthetic polymers may be used to develop stimuli-responsive matrices, while the mandatory characteristics of hydrogels (biocompatibility, water permeability, bioadhesion) are preserved. In this review, we briefly present the physiopathology and healing mechanisms of chronic wounds, as well as current therapeutic approaches. The rational of using traditional hydrogels and SHs in wound healing, as well as the current research directions for developing SHs with innovative features, are addressed and discussed along with their limitations and perspectives in industrial-scale manufacturing.

Keywords: biopolymers; smart hydrogels; stimuli-responsive; wound healing; wounds assessment tools.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The phases of the wound healing process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The most common chronic wounds, according to WHF classification.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mnemonics for clinical assessment and differential diagnostic between infected and biofilm-colonized chronic wounds.
Figure 4
Figure 4
TIMES concept for evaluation of critical parameters during wound healing phases.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Hydrogels classification, based on polymers characteristics and technological manufacturing process criteria.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The articles relating to SHs from PubMed (a) and Science Direct (b) databases.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Stimuli that enhance the performance of SHs on the wound healing process.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Natural polymers used on SHs formulation for wound managementapplications.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Synthetic polymers used in SHs formulation for wound healing management.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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