Advances in biomaterials for wound care management: Insights from recent developments

Abstract

Healing wounds is no longer a passive process but a dynamic interplay between advanced materials, therapeutic agents and innovative technologies. Chronic wounds, aggravated by factors like diabetes, aging and multidrug-resistant infections, demand solutions beyond traditional dressings. Advanced wound care has evolved into an active therapeutic strategy, leveraging biomaterials that mimic the extracellular matrix, foster tissue regeneration and combat infections. Recent advances in fabrication techniques, such as three-dimensional bioprinting, electrospinning and microfluidic templating, have enabled precise customization of wound dressings tailored to complex clinical challenges. The integration of bioactive molecules and growth factors, further enhances the efficacy of these dressings. Emerging trends like bioengineered hydrogels and real-time monitoring systems have the potential to transform wound care into an intelligent, adaptive process that responds to patient-specific needs. By addressing the current challenges and exploring emerging biomaterials, a future with personalized scar-free wound healing technologies may be achieved in the future. The current article begins by providing an overview of skin, wounds and the factors responsible for delaying wound healing. With this background, the traditional and advanced biomaterial based wound care strategies have been discussed extensively. The main focus is to present a comprehensive account on the integrated approaches in advance wound care management, combining breakthroughs in material science, biotechnology and clinical innovations to revolutionize the field of wound healing. This review promises a one-stop exhaustive report that shall be the torchbearer for future research endeavours in the field of wound care and management.

Keywords: Anti-inflammatory; Antibacterial; Engineered biomaterials; Skin regeneration; Smart dressings; Wound dressings; Wound management.