Wound care is a major biomedical field that is challenging due to the delayed wound healing process. Some factors are responsible for delayed wound healing such as malnutrition, poor oxygen flow, smoking, diseases (such as diabetes and cancer), microbial infections, etc. The currently used wound dressings suffer from various limitations, including poor antimicrobial activity, etc. Wound dressings that are formulated from biopolymers (e.g., cellulose, chitin, gelatin, chitosan, etc.) demonstrate interesting properties, such as good biocompatibility, non-toxicity, biodegradability, and attractive antimicrobial activity. Although biopolymer-based wound dressings display the aforementioned excellent features, they possess poor mechanical properties. Gelatin, a biopolymer has excellent biocompatibility, hemostatic property, reduced cytotoxicity, low antigenicity, and promotes cellular attachment and growth. However, it suffers from poor mechanical properties and antimicrobial activity. It is crosslinked with other polymers to enhance its mechanical properties. Furthermore, the incorporation of antimicrobial agents into gelatin-based wound dressings enhance their antimicrobial activity in vitro and in vivo. This review is focused on the development of hybrid wound dressings from a combination of gelatin and other polymers with good biological, mechanical, and physicochemical features which are appropriate for ideal wound dressings. Gelatin-based wound dressings are promising scaffolds for the treatment of infected, exuding, and bleeding wounds. This review article reports gelatin-based wound dressings which were developed between 2016 and 2021.

Burn wounds are associated with infections, drug resistance, allergic reactions, odour, bleeding, excess exudates, and scars, requiring prolonged hospital stay. It is crucial to develop wound dressings that can effectively combat allergic reactions and drug resistance, inhibit infections, and absorb excess exudates to accelerate wound healing. To overcome the above-mentioned problems associated with burn wounds, SA/PVA/PLGA/Capparis sepiaria and SA/PVA/Capparis sepiaria nanofibers incorporated with Capparis sepiaria plant extract were prepared using an electrospinning technique. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the successful incorporation of the extract into the nanofibers without any interaction between the extract and the polymers. The nanofibers displayed porous morphology and a rough surface suitable for cellular adhesion and proliferation. SA/PVA/PLGA/Capparis sepiaria and SA/PVA/Capparis sepiaria nanofibers demonstrated significant antibacterial effects against wound infection-associated bacterial strains: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Mycobaterium smegmatis, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Proteus vulgaris, and Staphylococcus aureus. Cytocompatibility studies using HaCaT cells revealed the non-toxicity of the nanofibers. SA/PVA/PLGA/Capparis sepiaria and SA/PVA/Capparis sepiaria nanofibers exhibited hemostatic properties, resulting from the synergistic effect of the plant extract and polymers. The in vitro scratch wound healing assay showed that the SA/PVA/Capparis sepiaria nanofiber wound-healing capability is more than the plant extract and a commercially available wound dressing. The wound-healing potential of SA/PVA/Capparis sepiaria nanofiber is attributed to the synergistic effect of the phytochemicals present in the extract, their porosity, and the ECM-mimicking structure of the nanofibers. The findings suggest that the electrospun nanofibers loaded with Capparis sepiaria extract are promising wound dressings that should be explored for burn wounds.

Wound healing and skin regeneration are major challenges in chronic wounds. Among the types of wound dressing products currently available in the market, each wound dressing material is designed for a specific wound type. Some of these products suffer from various shortcomings, such as poor antibacterial efficacy and mechanical performance, inability to provide a moist environment, poor permeability to oxygen and capability to induce cell migration and proliferation during the wound healing process. Hydrogels and nanofibers are widely reported wound dressings that have demonstrated promising capability to overcome these shortcomings. Cellulose acetate is a semisynthetic polymer that has attracted great attention in the fabrication of hydrogels and nanofibers. Loading bioactive agents such as antibiotics, essential oils, metallic nanoparticles, plant extracts, and honey into cellulose acetate-based nanofibers and hydrogels enhanced their biological effects, including antibacterial, antioxidant, and wound healing. This review reports cellulose acetate-based hydrogels and nanofibers loaded with bioactive agents for wound dressing and skin regeneration.

Aim: The current study is focused on the development of water-soluble wound dressings, which are potential dressings for the treatment of burn wounds. Materials & methods: Sodium alginate-based dis...

Background: Effective wound dressing is the key solution to combating the increased death rate and prolonged hospital stay common to patients with wounds. Methods: Sodium alginate-based single- and double-layer membranes incorporated with Capparis sepiaria root extract were designed using the solvent-casting method from a combination of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Pluronic F127 (PF127), and gum acacia. Results: The successful preparation of the membranes and loading of the extract were confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The prepared membranes were biodegradable and non-toxic to human skin cells (HaCaT), with high biocompatibility of 92 to 112% cell viability and good hemocompatibility with absorbance ranging from 0.17 to 0.30. The membrane’s highest water vapor transmission rate was 1654.7333 ± 0.736 g/m²/day and the highest % porosity was 76%. The membranes supported cellular adhesion and migration, with the highest closure being 68% after 4 days compared with the commercial wound dressings. This membrane exhibited enhanced antimicrobial activity against the pathogens responsible for wound infections. Conclusions: The distinct features of the membranes make them promising wound dressings for treating infected wounds.

Aim: Using appropriate wound dressings is crucial when treating burn wounds to promote accelerated healing.Materials & methods: Sodium alginate (SA)-based gels containing Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and Pluronic F127 were prepared. The formulations. SA/CMC/Carbopol and SA/CMC/PluronicF127 were loaded with aqueous root extract of Capparis sepiaria. The formulations were characterized using appropriate techniques.Results: The gels' viscosity was in the range of 676.33 ± 121.76 to 20.00 ± 9.78 cP and in vitro whole blood kinetics showed their capability to induce a faster clotting rate. They also supported high cell viability of 80% with cellular migration and proliferation. Their antibacterial activity was significant against most bacteria strains used in the study.Conclusion: The gels' distinct features reveal their potential application as wound dressings for burn wounds.