Wound healing is a multifaceted process influenced by various biological and mechanical factors, necessitating personalized treatment approaches. Wound dressings have become a crucial component of wound care due to their non-invasive nature and ability to create a controlled healing environment. However, traditional dressings often lack the mechanical strength and bioactivity required for optimal healing, driving research into biomaterials and advanced fabrication techniques to enhance their functionality. Recent advancements have culminated in the development of biofunctional wound dressings that exhibit high biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and the ability to accelerate the healing process while maintaining mechanical integrity suitable for different wound types. These next-generation dressings incorporate protective barriers, absorb wound exudates, and provide antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and tissue-regenerating properties. The integration of multifunctional and smart wound dressings with nanofibrous scaffolds, platelet-rich fibrin, and 3D-printed biomaterials has enhanced their therapeutic efficiency by mimicking the natural extracellular matrix and enabling controlled drug delivery. Additionally, sensor-integrated dressings capable of real-time wound monitoring and stimulus-responsive drug release represent a promising avenue for personalized wound care management. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of modern wound dressing technologies, their classification, and the biomaterials utilized in their fabrication. It also highlights the advantages of biofunctional and smart dressings in promoting efficient wound healing and tissue regeneration.

This study presents the development and comprehensive characterization of biopolymer-based nanofibrous composites composed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), chitosan (CS), boric acid (BA), and a natural antifungal agent natamycin (NAT), designed for therapeutic applications. A dual-layer 3D-fiber composite (PVA/CS/BA_PVA/NAT) was successfully fabricated using a layer-by-layer 3D bioprinting technique and electro-spinning, integrating BA into the core matrix and NAT into the outer layer. Mechanical tests revealed a significantly improved elastic modulus of 763.04 ± 14.54 MPa and the highest ultimate tensile stress (50.45 ± 2.58 MPa) among all samples. Despite a moderate strain at break (11.77 ± 0.49%), the composite preserved sufficient elasticity suitable for biological interfaces. Morphological assessment via SEM confirmed the successful deposition of continuous and bead-free nanofibers, with controlled fiber alignment and reduced average fiber diameters, especially in the BA-incorporated structure. The dual-layered system displayed enhanced uniformity and structural coherence. The drug release analysis demonstrated sustained NAT delivery over a 90 min period. Kinetic modeling showed a high correlation with the Korsmeyer–Peppas model (R² > 0.99), suggesting diffusion-controlled release, supported by the Korsmeyer–Peppas model’s Fickian diffusion exponent. In contrast, zero- and first-order models exhibited weaker fits, underscoring the relevance of a matrix-based release mechanism governed by the layered configuration. Crucially, antifungal assays against Candida albicans revealed substantial bioactivity. The PVA/CS/BA_PVA/NAT formulation achieved the largest inhibition zone (1.64 ± 0.13 cm), significantly outperforming single-layer controls such as PVA/CS/BA (1.25 ± 0.08 cm) and PVA/CS_PVA/NAT (1.43 ± 0.08 cm), while neat PVA exhibited no inhibition. These results confirm the synergistic antifungal efficacy of BA and NAT within the dual-layer structure. Together, these findings highlight the potential of the 3D-printed PVA/CS/BA_PVA/NAT composite as a mechanically robust, morphologically optimized, and bioactive platform for antifungal therapy and wound-healing applications.

Water, constituting 75% of Earth and vital for sustaining life, faces global contamination challenges, causing approximately 2 million annual deaths from waterborne diseases, as reported by the World Health Organization. Technological strides in water purification leverage antibacterial materials to combat this issue. At the forefront is silver nanoparticles (AgNP), renowned for antimicrobial efficacy. Their action involves damaging bacterial cells and hindering metabolism, causing structural and physiological alterations in microbial membranes. Graphene oxide (GO) emerges as a potent biocide, and when combined with AgNP, it enhances antibacterial activity. The resulting composite, known as antibacterial graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQD), exhibits photocatalytic behavior when exposed to sunlight or UV rays, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). This synergistic composite, particularly the GOQD/AgNP combination, proves effective in eliminating bacteria and fungi from water. In a recent study, GOQD was synthesized, and the GOQD/AgNP combination was prepared. Structural analyses, utilizing techniques such as FTIR, Zeta sizer, and TEM, revealed heightened antibacterial activity with increasing AgNP ratios. The GOQD/AgNP samples formed inhibition zones of 11.75 mm, 10 mm, and 9.88 mm against pathogenic bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella typhi (S. typhi), and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), respectively. Notably, the GOQD/AgNP composite demonstrated a synergistic antibacterial effect, showcasing its potential for widespread applications. This material holds promise for deployment in drinking water treatment plants and water storage tanks, ensuring water safety for consumption. Beyond water purification, the composite’s antibacterial properties hint at significant potential in medical and industrial realms, marking a crucial step toward safeguarding water sources and enhancing global public health.

Conducting materials based on carbon have been widely investigated in conducting tissue engineering applications due to their outstanding physical, chemical, thermal, and electric properties in recent years. Carbon based conductive materials can generate or respond to electrical signals, allowing them to provide controlled electrical stimulation to cells or tissues. Conductive tissue engineering (CTE) holds great promise for a wide range of applications, including nerve regeneration, cardiac tissue engineering, muscle tissue engineering and neural interfaces. In this review, recent progress in conducting tissue engineering applications by using these carbon-based materials in conducting tissue engineering including nerve tissue engineering, cardiac tissue engineering, muscle tissue engineering application were given in detail.

Conductive tissue engineering has emerged as a revolutionary approach to addressing the limitations of traditional regenerative therapies by integrating electrical and mechanical properties into biomaterials. This field focuses on mimicking the natural microenvironment of excitable tissues, such as nerves, cardiac, and skeletal muscles, to enhance cellular functions and facilitate tissue repair. Conducting polymers (CP), including polypyrrole, polyaniline, and PEDOT, have been widely utilized for their exceptional electrical conductivity, biocompatibility, and tunable properties. The incorporation of these polymers into electroactive scaffolds has demonstrated significant potential in promoting cell proliferation, differentiation, and alignment, while also enabling functional recovery through electrical stimulation. Applications in nerve regeneration have shown promise in restoring synaptic connections, while in cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues, conductive scaffolds aid in synchronized contractions and structural reinforcement. Despite these advancements, challenges such as optimizing conductivity, achieving long-term biocompatibility, and scaling production remain key areas of focus. This review thoroughly examines the use of conducting polymers for different tissue types such as neural, cardiac, and muscular tissues in light of the most recent literature. By addressing key topics such as electrical stimulation, multifunctional scaffold systems, biological responses, and emerging research trends, this study presents a holistic and up-to-date contribution to the field. Future directions aim to refine scaffold designs, enhance electrical stimulation protocols, and explore translational potential, paving the way for advanced regenerative therapies.