Yun Maya, Langford Logan, Russell Lewis, Ndiforamang Natalie, Zhang Anran, Bai Wubin
Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill NC 27514 USA
Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill NC 27514 USA.
RSC Appl Polym. 2025 Aug 27. doi: 10.1039/d5lp00092k.
Stimuli-responsive hydrogels have gained significant attention in wound care due to their ability to adapt to dynamic physiological conditions, making them promising candidates for facilitating chronic wound healing. These hydrogels can respond to both internal and external environmental stimuli such as temperature, pH, reactive oxygen species (ROS), glucose levels, MMP, mechanical forces, magnetism, and ultrasound, enabling precise, on-demand therapeutic interventions through controlled drug release. This responsiveness is governed by reversible changes in their polymer network structure caused by interactions with external stimuli. By creating an optimized environment for wound healing, stimuli-sensitive hydrogels can promote moisture retention, cellular migration, and mechanical flexibility while accelerating critical tissue repair processes like angiogenesis or collagen synthesis. Additionally, incorporating bioactive agents such as antimicrobial compounds, growth factors, and other therapeutically active substances like honey, has further expanded their functionality, though such modifications may be secondary to their inherent stimuli-responsive nature. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in stimuli-responsive hydrogels for chronic wound management, highlighting their ability to respond to environmental cues and addressing their potential to enhance healing through the controlled release of therapeutic agents, promotion of hemostasis, and tissue regeneration.
刺激响应性水凝胶因其能够适应动态生理条件而在伤口护理领域受到了广泛关注，使其成为促进慢性伤口愈合的有潜力的候选材料。这些水凝胶能够对内部和外部环境刺激作出响应，如温度、pH值、活性氧（ROS）、葡萄糖水平、基质金属蛋白酶（MMP）、机械力、磁力和超声波等，通过控制药物释放实现精确的按需治疗干预。这种响应性由与外部刺激相互作用导致的聚合物网络结构的可逆变化所控制。通过为伤口愈合创造优化环境，刺激敏感型水凝胶可以促进水分保留、细胞迁移和机械柔韧性，同时加速血管生成或胶原蛋白合成等关键组织修复过程。此外，加入抗菌化合物、生长因子以及蜂蜜等其他治疗活性物质等生物活性剂，进一步扩展了它们的功能，尽管此类修饰可能次于其固有的刺激响应特性。本综述全面概述了刺激响应性水凝胶在慢性伤口管理方面的最新进展，强调了它们对环境线索的响应能力，并探讨了它们通过控制治疗剂释放、促进止血和组织再生来增强愈合的潜力。
