Hydrogel Dressings for Advanced Wound Management

Abstract

Composed in a large extent of water and due to their non-adhesiveness, hydrogels found their way to the wound dressing market as materials that provide a moisture environment for healing while being comfortable to the patient. Hydrogels' exploitation is constantly increasing after evidences of their even broader therapeutic potential due to resemblance to dermal tissue and ability to induce partial skin regeneration. The innovation in advanced wound care is further directed to the development of so-called active dressings, where hydrogels are combined with components that enhance the primary purpose of providing a beneficial environment for wound healing. The aim of this mini-review is to concisely describe the relevance of hydrogel dressings as platforms for delivery of active molecules for improved management of difficult-to-treat wounds. The emphasis is on the most recent advances in development of stimuli-responsive hydrogels, which allow for control over wound healing efficiency in response to different external modalities. Novel strategies for monitoring of the wound status and healing progress based on incorporation of sensor molecules into the hydrogel platforms are also discussed.

Stimuli‐Responsive Delivery of Growth Factors for Tissue Engineering

“…Current temperature responsive drug delivery systems are primarily responsive to physiological temperatures (around 37 °C), where materials that exhibit lower critical solution temperature (LCST) within 30 to 40 °C are the most frequently used. [ 71,79 ] Temperature change may lead to both physical and chemical changes in materials, which can be leveraged for drug delivery purposes. [ 80 ] Poly( N ‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm)‐based polymers with LCST of ≈32 °C are often used for temperature‐response drug delivery.…”

PEG-Plasma Hydrogels Increase Epithelialization Using a Human Ex Vivo Skin Model

“…Hydrogel-based wound dressings currently have a significant impact on acute wound care due to their ability to provide a moist wound environment, adequate gas and fluid exchange, to support cell growth, and to be capable of delivering therapeutic drugs to the wound bed [ 42 ]. Three different hydrogel systems (i.e., collagen, PEG-fibrin, and PEG-PFP) were tested in this study.…”

Selection of Appropriate Wound Dressing for Various Wounds

“…Based on these characteristics, hydrogels are primarily used on pressure ulcers, surgical wounds, burns, radiation dermatitis, etc. (Francesko et al, 2017;Shamloo et al, 2018). They are suitable for wounds with minimal-to-moderate exudate.…”