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Review
. 2021 Dec 2;14(1):1.
doi: 10.1007/s40820-021-00751-y.

Conductive Biomaterials as Bioactive Wound Dressing for Wound Healing and Skin Tissue Engineering

Rui Yu  1 , Hualei Zhang  1   2 , Baolin Guo  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Conductive Biomaterials as Bioactive Wound Dressing for Wound Healing and Skin Tissue Engineering

Rui Yu et al. Nanomicro Lett. .

Abstract

Conductive biomaterials based on conductive polymers, carbon nanomaterials, or conductive inorganic nanomaterials demonstrate great potential in wound healing and skin tissue engineering, owing to the similar conductivity to human skin, good antioxidant and antibacterial activities, electrically controlled drug delivery, and photothermal effect. However, a review highlights the design and application of conductive biomaterials for wound healing and skin tissue engineering is lacking. In this review, the design and fabrication methods of conductive biomaterials with various structural forms including film, nanofiber, membrane, hydrogel, sponge, foam, and acellular dermal matrix for applications in wound healing and skin tissue engineering and the corresponding mechanism in promoting the healing process were summarized. The approaches that conductive biomaterials realize their great value in healing wounds via three main strategies (electrotherapy, wound dressing, and wound assessment) were reviewed. The application of conductive biomaterials as wound dressing when facing different wounds including acute wound and chronic wound (infected wound and diabetic wound) and for wound monitoring is discussed in detail. The challenges and perspectives in designing and developing multifunctional conductive biomaterials are proposed as well.

Keywords: Biomaterials; Conducting polymers; Electrotherapy; Inorganic nanomaterials; Wound monitoring.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic illustration of conductive biomaterials in wound healing and skin tissue engineering, including fabrication, forms, and applications
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Representative image of T98G and hDF proliferation on PEDOT:PSS based films under different redox states after culturing for 72 h. Reprinted from Ref. [112]. Copyright 2015, American Chemical Society
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Synthetic procedure of PCL-PEG-AT elastomer (a) and its shape memory behavior displaying in practical application (b). Reprinted from Ref. [118]. Copyright 2020, Elsevier
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Liner wounds covered with dressing electrodes with or without electrical connection (a). Electrical field distribution on wound site from front (b) and lateral (c) view. Photographs (e) and correspondingly enlarged images (f) of wounds in different groups after treatment for 2 days. Reprinted from Ref. [116]. Copyright 2018, American Chemical Society
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Schematic illustration of the fabrication of BP@SF possessing versatile solution-processability and its application for wound healing. Reprinted from Ref. [122]. Copyright 2018, American Chemical Society
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
SEM images of SF microfibers extracted via traditional alkaline treatment (a, b), SF microfibers obtained with PDA protection (c, d), and SF microfibers coated with PDA and PEOOT (e, f). The fibers were colored with purple and green for clear observation of PDA and PEDOT layer. Reprinted from Ref. [168]. Copyright 2021, Wiley–VCH
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Schematic diagram of production and characteristics of PCL/QCSP NFMs. Reprinted from Ref. [165]. Copyright 2020, Elsevier
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Schematic representation of QCSP/PEGS-FA hydrogel synthesis (a-c). Photographs of the gelation process (d) and flexible soft nature (e) of the hydrogel. Reprinted from Ref. [174]. Copyright 2017, Elsevier
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Schematic representation of QCSG/CNT cryogel synthesis (a–c). Reprinted from Ref. [221]
Fig. 10
Fig. 10
Sequential illustration of the four overlapping phases of classical wound healing. Reprinted from Ref. [227]. Copyright 2013, Elsevier
Fig. 11
Fig. 11
Schematic illustration (a), photograph (b) and metal coating area percentage (c) of Ag/Zn@Cotton dressing. (d) SEM images and corresponding EDS mapping of metal dots on the Ag/Zn@Cotton dressing. Reprinted from Ref. [120]. Copyright 2020, American Chemical Society
Fig. 12
Fig. 12
Wound healing in the stretchable parts of rats. Photographs (a) and correspondingly enlarged images (b) of wounds treated with different dressings. (c–e) statistics of wound healing rate on nape or dorsum by determined time. Reprinted from Ref. [186]. Copyright 2020, Wiley–VCH
Fig. 13
Fig. 13
Schematic representation of in vivo wound healing experiment assisted by ES (a). Photographs of wounds treated with different wound dressings (b). Photographs of wounds on determined times and granulation tissue on day 14 in different groups (c). Reprinted from Ref. [141]. Copyright 2020, Wiley–VCH
Fig. 14
Fig. 14
Schematic illustration self-assembly of PANI-GCS NPs in aqueous solution and the formation of bacteria and PANI-GCS NPs aggregates induced by acidity-triggered surface-charge conversion, thereby promoting photothermal ablation of focal infections. Reprinted from Ref. [240]. Copyright 2017, Elsevier
Fig. 15
Fig. 15
Schematic illustrations of thermo-responsive microneedles loaded with BP quantum dots and oxygen carrying hemoglobin. Reprinted from Ref. [191]. Copyright 2020, American Chemical Society
Fig. 16
Fig. 16
Schematic and conceptual view of the automated smart bandage for diabetic wounds integrating flexible pH sensors for real-time monitoring wound status and flexible heater for triggering thermo-responsive drug carriers loaded with antibiotics. Reprinted from Ref. [255]. Copyright 2018, Wiley–VCH
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