Hemocompatibility of different burn wound dressings

Integration of Zn2+, ATP, and bFGF to Nanodressing with Core-Shell Structure Fabricated by Emulsion Electrospinning for Wound Healing

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) plays an important role in active wound repair. However, the existing dosage forms in clinical applications are mainly sprays and freeze-dried powders, which are prone to inactivation and cannot achieve a controlled release. In this study, a bioactive wound dressing named bFGF-ATP-Zn/polycaprolactone (PCL) nanodressing with a "core-shell" structure was fabricated by emulsion electrospinning, enabling the sustained release of bFGF. Based on the coordination and electrostatic interactions among bFGF, ATP, and Zn2+, as well as their synergistic effect on promoting wound healing, a bFGF-ATP-Zn ternary combination system was prepared with higher cell proliferation activity and used as the water phase for emulsion electrospinning. The bFGF-ATP-Zn/PCL nanodressing demonstrated improved mechanical properties, sustained release of bFGF, cytocompatibility, and hemocompatibility. It increased the proliferation activity of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) and enhanced collagen secretion by 1.39 and 3.45 times, respectively, while reducing the hemolysis rate to 3.13%. The application of the bFGF-ATP-Zn/PCL nanodressing in mouse full-thickness skin defect repair showed its ability to accelerate wound healing and reduce wound scarring within 14 days. These results provide a research basis for the development and application of this bioactive wound dressing product.

Evaluation of a Multifunctional Polyvinylpyrrolidone/Hyaluronic Acid-Based Bilayer Film Patch with Anti-Inflammatory Properties as an Enhancer of the Wound Healing Process

The management of acute and chronic wounds is still a socioeconomic burden for society due to the lack of suitable tools capable of supporting all the healing phases. The exponential spread of diabetes worldwide and the consequent increase of complicated diabetic ulcers require further efforts to develop scalable, low-cost, and easy-to-use treatments for tackling this emergency. Recently, we explored the fabrication of a polyvinylpyrrolidone/hyaluronic acid-based bilayer wound dressing, characterizing its physicochemical features and detailing its excellent antimicrobial activity. Here, we further demonstrate its biocompatibility on fibroblasts, keratinocytes, and red blood cells. The bilayer shows anti-inflammatory properties, statistically reducing the level of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, and a capacity to accelerate wound healing in vitro and in healthy and diabetic mice models compared to untreated mice. The outcomes suggest that this bilayer material can be an effective tool for managing different skin injuries.

Complement in trauma-Traumatised complement?

Physical trauma represents a major global burden. The trauma-induced response, including activation of the innate immune system, strives for regeneration but can also lead to post-traumatic complications. The complement cascade is rapidly activated by damaged tissue, hypoxia, exogenous proteases and others. Activated complement can sense, mark and clear both damaged tissue and pathogens. However, excessive and insufficient activation of complement can result in a dysfunctional immune and organ response. Similar to acute coagulopathy, complementopathy can develop with enhanced anaphylatoxin generation and an impairment of complement effector functions. Various remote organ effects are induced or modulated by complement activation. Frequently, established trauma treatments are double-edged. On one hand, they help stabilising haemodynamics and oxygen supply as well as injured organs and on the other hand, they also drive complement activation. Immunomodulatory approaches aim to reset trauma-induced disbalance of complement activation and thus may change surgical trauma management procedures to improve outcome. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue on Canonical and non-canonical functions of the complement system in health and disease. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v178.14/issuetoc.

Hydrogel Dressings for the Treatment of Burn Wounds: An Up-To-Date Overview

Globally, the fourth most prevalent devastating form of trauma are burn injuries. Ideal burn wound dressings are fundamental to facilitate the wound healing process and decrease pain in lower time intervals. Conventional dry dressing treatments, such as those using absorbent gauze and/or absorbent cotton, possess limited therapeutic effects and require repeated dressing changes, which further aggravate patients' suffering. Contrariwise, hydrogels represent a promising alternative to improve healing by assuring a moisture balance at the burn site. Most studies consider hydrogels as ideal candidate materials for the synthesis of wound dressings because they exhibit a three-dimensional (3D) structure, which mimics the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) of skin in regard to the high-water amount, which assures a moist environment to the wound. There is a wide variety of polymers that have been used, either alone or blended, for the fabrication of hydrogels designed for biomedical applications focusing on treating burn injuries. The aim of this paper is to provide an up-to-date overview of hydrogels applied in burn wound dressings.