Burns are a widespread global public health traumatic injury affecting many people worldwide. Non-fatal burn injuries are a leading cause of morbidity, resulting in prolonged hospitalization, disfigurement, and disability, often with resulting stigma and rejection. The treatment of burns is aimed at controlling pain, removing dead tissue, preventing infection, reducing scarring risk, and tissue regeneration. Traditional burn wound treatment methods include the use of synthetic materials such as petroleum-based ointments and plastic films. However, these materials can be associated with negative environmental impacts and may not be biocompatible with the human body. Tissue engineering has emerged as a promising approach to treating burns, and sustainable biomaterials have been developed as an alternative treatment option. Green biomaterials such as collagen, cellulose, chitosan, and others are biocompatible, biodegradable, environment-friendly, and cost-effective, which reduces the environmental impact of their production and disposal. They are effective in promoting wound healing and reducing the risk of infection and have other benefits such as reducing inflammation and promoting angiogenesis. This comprehensive review focuses on the use of multifunctional green biomaterials that have the potential to revolutionize the way we treat skin burns, promoting faster and more efficient healing while minimizing scarring and tissue damage.
1 December 2018 in Complementary Therapies in Medicine
Skin tissue engineering possesses great promise in providing successful wound injury and tissue loss treatments that current methods cannot treat or achieve a satisfactory clinical outcome. A major field direction is exploring bioscaffolds with multifunctional properties to enhance biological performance and expedite complex skin tissue regeneration. Multifunctional bioscaffolds are three-dimensional (3D) constructs manufactured from natural and synthetic biomaterials using cutting-edge tissue fabrication techniques incorporated with cells, growth factors, secretomes, antibacterial compounds, and bioactive molecules. It offers a physical, chemical, and biological environment with a biomimetic framework to direct cells toward higher-order tissue regeneration during wound healing. Multifunctional bioscaffolds are a promising possibility for skin regeneration because of the variety of structures they provide and the capacity to customise the chemistry of their surfaces, which allows for the regulated distribution of bioactive chemicals or cells. Meanwhile, the current gap is through advanced fabrication techniques such as computational designing, electrospinning, and 3D bioprinting to fabricate multifunctional scaffolds with long-term safety. This review stipulates the wound healing processes used by commercially available engineered skin replacements (ESS), highlighting the demand for a multifunctional, and next-generation ESS replacement as the goals and significance study in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM). This work also scrutinise the use of multifunctional bioscaffolds in wound healing applications, demonstrating successful biological performance in the in vitro and in vivo animal models. Further, we also provided a comprehensive review in requiring new viewpoints and technological innovations for the clinical application of multifunctional bioscaffolds for wound healing that have been found in the literature in the last 5 years.
Chronic wounds, particularly those associated with conditions like diabetes, present significant challenges in healthcare due to prolonged healing and high susceptibility to infections. This study investigates the development of injectable hydrogels composed of genipin-crosslinked gelatin and Kelulut honey (KH) as novel biomaterials for wound healing applications. Hydrogels were prepared with varying concentrations (w/v) of gelatin (9% and 10%) and KH (0.1% and 0.5%), with genipin (0.1%) acting as a crosslinker. The physicochemical properties were extensively evaluated, including the swelling ratio, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), contact angle, porosity, enzymatic degradation, and surface roughness. The results showed that KH incorporation significantly enhanced the swelling properties of the hydrogels, with the 9GE_0.1KH formulation demonstrating a swelling ratio of 742.07 ± 89.61% compared to 500% for the control 9GE formulation. The WVTR values for KH-incorporated hydrogels ranged from 1670.60 ± 236.87 g/m2h to 2438.92 ± 190.90 g/m2h, which were within the ideal range (1500–2500 g/m2h) for wound healing. Contact angle measurements indicated improved hydrophilicity, with 9GE_0.1KH showing a contact angle of 42.14° ± 7.52° compared to 60° ± 11.66° for the 10GE formulation. Biodegradation rates were slightly higher for KH-modified hydrogels (0.079 ± 0.006 mg/h for 9GE_0.1KH), but all remained within acceptable limits. These findings suggest that genipin-crosslinked gelatin-KH hydrogels offer a promising scaffold for enhanced wound healing and potential applications in tissue engineering and three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technologies.
We report our experience of treating two patients with ankle amputation with different presentations. The first case was a clean-cut sharp amputation. The second case was an avulsion injury following a motor vehicle accident in a patient who arrived 8 hours after the injury. Replantation was successful in both cases. In avulsion injuries, a secondary operation for wound coverage is required at a later stage. With good strategy and a support team, encouraging limb survival outcomes are possible post-replantation.
Wound infection is the leading cause of delayed wound healing. Despite ongoing research, the ideal treatment for full-thickness skin wounds is yet to be achieved. Skin tissue engineering provides an alternative treatment, with the potential for skin regeneration. Background/Objectives: Previously, we characterized a collagen–gelatin–elastin (CollaGee) acellular skin substitute and evaluated its cytocompatibility. The assessments revealed good physicochemical properties and cytocompatibility with human dermal fibroblasts (HDF). This study aimed to incorporate thymoquinone (TQ) as the antibacterial agent into CollaGee biomatrices and evaluate their cytocompatibility in vitro. Methods: Briefly, dose–response and antibacterial studies were conducted to confirm the antimicrobial activity and identify the suitable concentration for incorporation; 0.05 and 0.1 mg/mL concentrations were selected. Then, the cytocompatibility was evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively. Results: Cytocompatibility analysis revealed no toxicity towards HDFs, with 81.5 + 0.7% cell attachment and 99.27 + 1.6% cell viability. Specifically, the 0.05 mg/mL TQ concentration presented better viability, but the differences were not significant. Immunocytochemistry staining revealed the presence of collagen I, vinculin, and alpha smooth muscle actin within the three-dimensional biomatrices. Conclusions: These results suggest that TQ-incorporated CollaGee biomatrices are a promising candidate for enhancing the main key player, HDF, to efficiently regenerate the dermal layer in full-thickness skin wound healing. Further investigations are needed for future efficiency studies in animal models.