Natural Compounds and Biopolymers-Based Hydrogels Join Forces to Promote Wound Healing

Abstract

Rapid and complete wound healing is a clinical emergency, mainly in pathological conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes mellitus. Many therapeutic tools are not resolutive, and the research for a more efficient remedial remains a challenge. Wound dressings play an essential role in diabetic wound healing. In particular, biocompatible hydrogels represent the most attractive wound dressings due to their ability to retain moisture as well as ability to act as a barrier against bacteria. In the last years, different functionalized hydrogels have been proposed as wound dressing materials, showing encouraging outcomes with great benefits in the healing of the diabetic wounds. Specifically, because of their excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability, natural bioactive compounds, as well as biomacromolecules such as polysaccharides and protein, are usually employed in the biomedical field. In this review, readers can find the main discoveries regarding the employment of naturally occurring compounds and biopolymers as wound healing promoters with antibacterial activity. The emerging approaches and engineered devices for effective wound care in diabetic patients are reported and deeply investigated.

Physicochemical Characterization, Biocompatibility, and Antibacterial Properties of CMC/PVA/Calendula officinalis Films for Biomedical Applications

“…This is because the cell wall structure with a layer of peptidoglycan located between the outer membrane and the cytoplasmic membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is more complex than that of Gram-positive bacteria, which can protect bacteria from external stimulation [ 42 ]. These results are consistent with those of previous studies investigating CMC/PVA composite films incorporating nanoparticles, antibiotics, and essential oils [ 4 , 12 , 34 , 37 , 42 ]. The antibacterial effect of the pure CMC/PVA films is limited as shown in the present study and previous studies [ 36 ].…”

“…In the present study, the improvement in surface wettability for CMC/PVA/CO-4% may be partially due to the heterogeneous surface geometries and structure [ 38 , 40 ]. Based on previous results, the increase in surface wettability of composite films would provide a desirable microenvironment for cell response, tissue engineering, and wound-healing applications [ 1 , 4 , 41 ].…”

“…The antibacterial effect of the pure CMC/PVA films is limited as shown in the present study and previous studies [ 36 ]. Thus, multiple strategies were developed to improve the antibacterial activity of the pure CMC/PVA films [ 4 , 12 , 33 , 37 , 42 ]. The antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal effects of CMC/PVA have been reported to be enhanced by the cooperation with 1.5% and 3.0% cinnamon essential oil [ 17 , 25 ].…”

“…In addition, delays to wound healing significantly increase the risk of wound infection, which results in immune responses, tissue inflammation, and damage. Thus, the development of wound dressings with biocompatible and antimicrobial properties is important to accelerate the wound healing process [ 4 ]. Recently, biopolymer-based wound dressings prepared by combining natural and synthetic polymers have attracted considerable attention.…”

Natural Polymeric Hydrogels Encapsulating Small Molecules for Diabetic Wound Healing

“…Polyphenols modulate the inflammatory agents, such as cytokines, increase angiogenesis and vascular genesis, can promote epithelization and ameliorate wound contraction rates. Polyphenols have a role in the hemostasis phase due to some polyphenol moieties (catechol or pyrogallol groups), which can interact with serum proteins in the blood, forming complexes that can stop bleeding by creating a physical barrier [33]. These hemostatic effects can also be due to the antibacterial properties of polyphenols.…”