The skin is the largest organ of the body, and it acts as a protective barrier against external factors. Chronic wounds affect millions of people worldwide and are associated with significant morbidity and reduced quality of life. One of the main factors involved in delayed wound healing is oxidative injury, which is triggered by the overproduction of reactive oxygen species. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic wounds, where it is known to impair wound healing by causing damage to cellular components, delaying the inflammatory phase of healing, and inhibiting the formation of new blood vessels. Thereby, the treatment of chronic wounds requires a multidisciplinary approach that addresses the underlying causes of the wound, provides optimal wound care, and promotes wound healing. Among the promising approaches to taking care of chronic wounds, antioxidants are gaining interest since they offer multiple benefits related to skin health. Therefore, in this review, we will highlight the latest advances in the use of natural polymers with antioxidants to generate tissue regeneration microenvironments for skin wound healing.

Engineered living materials (ELMs) are emerging as a new class of autonomous and self‐maintainable systems that integrate metabolically active organisms within structural scaffolds to create materials capable of sensing, self‐repair, adaptive response, and long‐term functional persistence. Unlike conventional smart materials, which remain externally programmed and limited in regenerative capacity, ELMs leverage the intrinsic capabilities of microorganisms, fungi, algae, and mammalian cells to support continuous environmental interaction and feedback‐regulated behavior. These systems retain metabolically active biological components that can grow, sense, communicate, adapt, and, in some cases, self‐repair and self‐regenerate, positioning autonomy as the defining capacity of these next‐generation materials. Recent advances in synthetic biology, including programmable gene circuits, quorum‐sensing communication, and metabolic engineering, enable living components to execute closed‐loop decision‐making and maintain functionality with minimal external input. These capabilities are driving innovations across construction, agriculture, environmental remediation, bioenergy, and biomedicine, where ELMs enable functions such as damage‐triggered mineralization, adaptive pollutant degradation, and therapeutic self‐regulation. Despite this promise, key challenges remain in evolutionary stability, biocontainment, long‐term viability, and scalable manufacturing. This Review examines the design principles, current challenges, and translational pathways toward self‐maintainable and autonomous living materials capable of sustained operation in real‐world environments.