John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Sci Adv. 2019 Jul 24;5(7):eaaw3963. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw3963. eCollection 2019 Jul.
Inspired by embryonic wound closure, we present mechanically active dressings to accelerate wound healing. Conventional dressings passively aid healing by maintaining moisture at wound sites. Recent developments have focused on drug and cell delivery to drive a healing process, but these methods are often complicated by drug side effects, sophisticated fabrication, and high cost. Here, we present novel active adhesive dressings consisting of thermoresponsive tough adhesive hydrogels that combine high stretchability, toughness, tissue adhesion, and antimicrobial function. They adhere strongly to the skin and actively contract wounds, in response to exposure to the skin temperature. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate their efficacy in accelerating and supporting skin wound healing. Finite element models validate and refine the wound contraction process enabled by these active adhesive dressings. This mechanobiological approach opens new avenues for wound management and may find broad utility in applications ranging from regenerative medicine to soft robotics.
受胚胎伤口闭合的启发，我们提出了机械活性敷料来加速伤口愈合。传统的敷料通过在伤口部位保持水分来被动地帮助愈合。最近的发展集中在药物和细胞递送来驱动愈合过程，但这些方法往往因药物副作用、复杂的制造和高成本而变得复杂。在这里，我们提出了一种新型的活性粘合敷料，由热响应性坚韧粘合水凝胶组成，这种水凝胶具有高拉伸性、韧性、组织附着力和抗菌功能。它们能强烈地附着在皮肤上，并在接触到皮肤温度时主动收缩伤口。体外和体内研究证明了它们在加速和支持皮肤伤口愈合方面的功效。有限元模型验证并细化了这些活性粘合敷料所实现的伤口收缩过程。这种机械生物学方法为伤口管理开辟了新的途径，并可能在从再生医学到软机器人等广泛的应用中找到广泛的应用。
