Dressing systems based on chitosan as active transport platforms in the treatment of burnt skin: Mini‐review

Abstract

Burns are one of the most common injuries worldwide, affecting thousands of people every year. These wounds, when more severe, can pose a risk to the individual's systemic health and lead to many hospital visits. Among the possible complications arising from cases of deep or generalized burns, sepsis, scar tissue contraction after inadequate healing, and burn shock caused by hypovolemia stand out. Burnt skin is extremely susceptible to bacteria and other pathogens, due to the loss of the protection provided by intact layers of skin, which can severely hinder its proper healing. Several strategies can be used to treat these injuries, among which, the use of hydrogel‐based dressings stands out because of the wet wound healing process. Thus, many studies have focused on the therapeutic effects of chitosan‐based hydrogels for better wound healing due to the good characteristics of this matrix, which include the high biocompatibility, antimicrobial activity, and ability to act as a carrier for the local delivery of actives. In this perspective, studies that explore hydrogel formulations containing chitosan showed the high versatility of these systems that have already been used as transport platforms for natural actives, biomolecules, synthetic antimicrobials, and even antimicrobial nanoparticles. The results of these studies indicate that the use of dressings based on hydrogels containing chitosan can accelerate the healing of wounds caused by burns in the animal model and achieve synergistic antimicrobial effects with some actives, indicating that chitosan hydrogels hold great promise in developing healing systems to regenerate burnt skin