Background/Objectives: Efficient wound treatment embraces the management of four overlapping phases, starting with hemostasis, an immediate physiological response aimed at stopping bleeding from damaged blood vessels caused by skin injury. This paper proposes an innovative, nature-based hemostatic biomaterial designed to assist natural self-healing regenerative mechanisms. Methods: Light, transparent, and skin-adhesive films based on κ-carrageenan, meadow polyfloral honey, and Calendula officinalis flower extract were fabricated via solution casting. Comprehensive characterization revealed the physicochemical, structural, swelling, and barrier properties and the influence of each bioactive compound utilized for film preparation. Results: The samples subcutaneously implanted in Wistar rats induced vascularization, deposition of collagen, and orientation of collagen fibers while being fully phagocytosed and gradually biodegraded. The rat tail-cut model demonstrated that the films significantly reduced blood loss (0.1875 ± 0.0732 g) compared to the control (0.7837 ± 0.3319 g), and hemostasis was achieved notably faster (355.75 ± 71.42 s) than in the control group (704.25 ± 85.29 s). The rat liver punch biopsy model confirmed reduced blood loss (2.8025 ± 1.5174 g) and shorter time to hemostasis (303.25 ± 77.90 s) compared to the control (3.1475 ± 1.5413 g, 383.00 ± 36.53 s). Conclusions: The results indicate the great potential of the fabricated films as hemostatic wound dressings.

Scar formation and delayed wound healing pose significant challenges in treating skin injuries, especially in severe cases like burns and diabetic wounds. This study investigates the effectiveness of novel Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/Gentamicin (Gent) and PVA/Chitosan (CHI)/Gent hydrogels in promoting healing of second-degree burn wounds in a rat model. Following in vitro testing, these hydrogels were deemed non-toxic and suitable for in vivo analysis. Clinical evaluations were conducted on the 3rd, 7th, 14th, and 21st post-injury days, assessing parameters such as blistering, edema, redness, crust, bleeding, secretion, scar tissue formation, and wound contraction percentage. Histological analyses focused on re-epithelization and dermal evaluation at specific time points. Results showed that both hydrogels significantly reduced inflammation, particularly redness, by the 14th day and improved re-epithelization, with the PVA/CHI/Gent group outperforming on the 14th day and the PVA/Gent group excelling on the 21st day. Histological findings indicated increased fibroblast proliferation and collagen deposition in treated groups, suggesting enhanced dermal healing. The PVA/CHI/Gent hydrogel demonstrated notable antibacterial properties, likely due to the synergistic effects of CHI and Gent, leading to reduced inflammation and edema. Overall, both hydrogels show promise as effective wound dressings, facilitating faster healing and improved tissue recovery in burn injuries. This study supports the use of biomimetic scaffolds for enhanced wound management in clinical practices.

Epidermis stem cells have a crucial role through the processes of proliferation and differentiation, to replace cells that are constantly lost during tissue turnover or following injury. On the other hand, thyroid hormones regulate the proliferation and differentiation of epidermal cells and thus significantly influence the homeostasis of the skin. It is well known that maternal hypothyroidism during pregnancy leads to impaired development of many organ systems in their offspring. However, there is a lack of data about the influence of maternal subclinical hypothyroidism during pregnancy and lactation on the development of the skin and its derivatives in the litter. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of maternal thyroid dysfunction on the development of the skin and its derivatives in their offspring in the early postnatal period. Antithyroid substance 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil was added into the drinking water to female Albino Oxfords rats from the beginning of pregnancy and during lactation, with the aim to induce subclinical and overt form of hypothyroidism. Skin samples were taken from male pups within twenty-four hours and seven days after birth. The main findings of this investigation were that both forms of maternal hypothyroidism lead to serious damage of the epidermis in pups in terms of pronounced hyperkeratosis and reduction of the germinal layer along with a reduced number of hair follicles and their delayed morphogenesis. Epidermal impairments were more pronounced in pups with the overt form of hypothyroidism while offspring with the subclinical form had impairments that were less pronounced and delayed in occurrence.

Scar formation and delayed wound healing pose significant challenges in treating skin injuries, especially in severe cases like burns and diabetic wounds. This study investigates the effectiveness of novel Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) / Gentamicin (Gent) and PVA / Chitosan (CHI) / Gent hydrogels in promoting healing of second-degree burn wounds in a rat model. Following in vitro testing, these hydrogels were deemed non-toxic and suitable for in vivo analysis. Clinical evaluations were conducted on 3rd, 7th, 14th and 21st post-injury day, assessing parameters such as blistering, edema, redness, crust, bleeding, secretion, scar tissue formation, and wound contraction percentage. Histological analyses focused on re-epithelization and dermal evaluation at specific time points. Results showed that both hydrogels significantly reduced inflammation, particularly redness, by the 14th day, and improved re-epithelization, with the PVA/CHI/Gent group outperforming on the 14th day and the PVA/Gent group excelling at the 21st day. Histological findings indicated increased fibroblast proliferation and collagen deposition in treated groups, suggesting enhanced dermal healing. The PVA/CHI/Gent hydrogel demonstrated notable antibacterial properties, likely due to the synergistic effects of CHI and Gent, leading to reduced inflammation and edema. Overall, both hydrogels show promise as effective wound dressings, facilitating faster healing and improved tissue recovery in burn injuries. This study supports the use of biomimetic scaffolds for enhanced wound management in clinical practices.