Combinatorial wound healing therapy using adhesive nanofibrous membrane equipped with wearable LED patches for photobiomodulation

Abstract

Wound healing is the dynamic tissue regeneration process replacing devitalized and missing tissue layers. With the development of photomedicine techniques in wound healing, safe and noninvasive photobiomodulation therapy is receiving attention. Effective wound management in photobiomodulation is challenged, however, by limited control of the geometrical mismatches on the injured skin surface. Here, adhesive hyaluronic acid–based gelatin nanofibrous membranes integrated with multiple light-emitting diode (LED) arrays are developed as a skin-attachable patch. The nanofibrous wound dressing is expected to mimic the three-dimensional structure of the extracellular matrix, and its adhesiveness allows tight coupling between the wound sites and the flexible LED patch. Experimental results demonstrate that our medical device accelerates the initial wound healing process by the synergetic effects of the wound dressing and LED irradiation. Our proposed technology promises progress for wound healing management and other biomedical applications.