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The skin is the largest organ of the body, accounting for 15% of the body's weight. It is the first line of defense against physical, chemical, and biological exogenous sources and plays an important protective role. The skin consists mainly of the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis, with other sublayers.
Skin wounds are caused by ruptures and injuries to the skin layers. There are acute and chronic wounds. In acute wounds, the skin heals itself and goes through normal healing stages. Whereas in chronic wounds, self-healing is not sufficient and the healing phase is interrupted.
Wound dressings, as a protective barrier on the applied surface, should be biocompatible, biodegradable, prevent microbial infections, resemble the extracellular matrix (ECM) of normal tissues, and provide an optimal environment for accelerated healing. The ideal wound dressing should have an elastic mechanical structure, yet be strong enough to be easily handled and comfortable to wear. Dressings that are too soft are difficult to handle. On the other hand, high-strength wound dressings often stick to the wound and may cause secondary damage.
The main point of this paper
Limitations of traditional wound management methods:
Traditional wound management methods, such as the use of cotton, gauze membranes, foams, hydrogels, and hydrocolloids, while less costly and highly absorbent, may lead to wound adhesions, delayed healing, and reduced patient compliance.
Development of nanoparticle drug delivery agents:
In order to improve the skin permeability of drugs and achieve better therapeutic effects, researchers have designed a variety of nanoparticle delivery agents for transdermal use, including nanosheets, liposomes, hydrogels, wafers, nanospheres, dendritic macromolecules, nanocolloids and nanofibers.
Properties of electrospinning nanofibers:
Nanofibers show great potential in wound healing due to their extracellular membrane (ECM)-like properties, large specific surface area, high porosity, good mechanical properties and controllable morphology and size.
Polymer selection and application:
The properties of electrostatically spun nanofibers for wound healing are highly dependent on the polymer chemistry used, including both natural and synthetic polymers.
Specific study case:
M. Wang et al. successfully prepared Nanofiber Membrane with different ratios of chitosan and PVA loaded with antibiotics and found that when the ratio of low molecular weight chitosan to PVA was 50/50, smooth and homogeneous fibers could be obtained for potential wound healing applications.
H. Ezhilarasu et al. developed PCL/AV/CUR containing curcumin and PCL/Aloe vera (AV) nanofibers containing PCL/AV/TCH with tetracycline hydrochloride with good mechanical properties and potential wound healing applications.
F. Mwiiri, J. Brandner, and R. Daniels loaded birch bark stem extract (TE) onto low molecular weight PVA fiber mats and showed significant wound healing effects over TE oil gels.
Zaeri S, Karami F and Assadi M prepared PVA solutions containing cardiac glycosides and showed fine fibers, good porosity and hydrophilicity, and non-toxic effects.
PU/PVA gel nanofibers doped with cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles and cinnamon essential oil (CEO) showed good porosity, suitable liquid uptake and slow degradation rate, and antimicrobial effect against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
Advantages of electrospinning technology:
Nanofiber scaffolds produced by electrospinning technology provide an excellent dressing for wound healing, mimicking the nanoscale size and pore structure of ECM to support cell adhesion and growth
Stages of Wound Healing:
Wound healing is a complex biological process that includes four phases: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling.
Limitations of existing treatments:
Traditional treatments (e.g., cotton and gauze) may delay the wound healing process and more innovative treatments are needed.
Properties of nanofibers:
Nanofibers are similar to skin extracellular matrix with large specific surface area, high porosity, excellent mechanical properties and controllable morphological size.
Preparation method of nanofibers:
Nanofibers are generated by the electrospinning method, which uses a high-voltage electric field to spray a polymer solution into fibers.
Components of the electrospinning device:
The electrospinning device consists of a high-voltage power supply, a syringe containing the polymer solution, a needle, and a collector to collect the nanofibers.
Versatility of nanofibers:
Nanofibers can be prepared using a variety of polymers, including natural and synthetic polymers.
Nanofibers in Wound Healing:
Electrospun nanofibers have the potential to promote wound healing as potential scaffolds for wound healing applications.
Ideal wound dressings should have an elastic mechanical structure but be strong enough to be easily handled and comfortable to wear. Nanofibers are characterized by their good mechanical strength and inert cellular properties, allowing painless removal with minimal scarring. They are also similar to the ECM of the skin, providing a large surface area so they can absorb excess exudate from the wound. Many techniques have been developed for the preparation of nanofibers. Many parameters affect the electrostatic spinning process, which are categorized into process parameters (applied voltage, flow rate, needle diameter to collector distance), solution parameters (concentration, molecular weight, viscosity, and conductivity), and environmental parameters (humidity and temperature). Electrostatic spinning is a simple, economical and versatile spinning process utilizing the principle of electrostatic force under strong electric field conditions. Conventional methods involve dispersing or dissolving the drug in a polymer solution to form a homogeneous solution. However, such methods often show burst release patterns and can lead to denaturation and reduced activity of sensitive bioactive agents. This calls for more advanced electrostatic spinning techniques such as coaxial electrostatic spinning, emulsion electrostatic spinning and side-by-side electrostatic spinning. Coaxial electrostatic spinning and emulsion electrostatic spinning were used to prepare core-shell nanofibers, where the outer shell layer encapsulates and prevents the release of active ingredients from the inner core layer. Janus nanofibers synthesized by double-sided electrostatic spinning contain two solutions with different chemical properties. The multilayered nanofibers can be prepared either by direct electrostatic spinning of the second polymer solution after the first layer of nanofibers has been collected, or by self-assembly of oppositely charged molecules adsorbed on the surface of the nanofibers. In this context, we believe that electrospun nanofibers are promising for wound healing dressing applications.
