Electrospinning Proteins for Wound Healing Purposes: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

With the growth of the aging population worldwide, chronic wounds represent an increasing burden to healthcare systems. Wound healing is complex and not only affected by the patient’s physiological conditions, but also by bacterial infections and inflammation, which delay wound closure and re-epithelialization. In recent years, there has been a growing interest for electrospun polymeric wound dressings with fiber diameters in the nano- and micrometer range. Such wound dressings display a number of properties, which support and accelerate wound healing. For instance, they provide physical and mechanical protection, exhibit a high surface area, allow gas exchange, are cytocompatible and biodegradable, resemble the structure of the native extracellular matrix, and deliver antibacterial agents locally into the wound. This review paper gives an overview on cytocompatible and biodegradable fibrous wound dressings obtained by electrospinning proteins and peptides of animal and plant origin in recent years. Focus is placed on the requirements for the fabrication of such drug delivery systems by electrospinning as well as their wound healing properties and therapeutic potential. Moreover, the incorporation of antimicrobial agents into the fibers or their attachment onto the fiber surface as well as their antimicrobial activity are discussed.

Reinforced electrospun nanofiber composites for drug delivery applications

“…It is important to note that the use of organic solvents, cross‐linking agents, high voltage, thermal modification of the electrospun product is likely to affect the structure and function of the protein/peptide. Hence it is essential to study the changes in the structure and biological activity of the protein/peptide before and after the production of composites 115 …”

Antimicrobial and antihemolytic properties of a CNF/AgNP-chitosan film: A potential wound dressing material

“…In general, a good wound dressing must meet a number of conditions, such as preventing the growth of pathogenic bacteria and absorbing the exudate of the wound while still maintaining the moisture content of the wound, supporting the process of tissue regeneration and accelerating the process of wound healing [9][10][11]. Nanomaterials, such as AgNPs, have recently sparked interest because the synthesis process is capable of being carried out and conditioned in a variety of ways, depending on the needs and subsequent use [5,8,12,13].…”

Combining Biocompatible and Biodegradable Scaffolds and Cold Atmospheric Plasma for Chronic Wound Regeneration

“…Of special interest for skin replacement are asymmetric membranes that consist of two layers that resemble the functions of the epidermis and dermis. Such electrospun scaffolds enhance porosity, the absorption of moisture, exchange of oxygen, and antimicrobial properties as well as outer protection and barrier function [17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. Another innovative way to produce such a bilayered skin scaffold is constituted by high hydrostatic pressure (HHP).…”