Multicomponent Antimicrobial Hydrogels for Wound Healing Applications

Abstract

The main challenge associated with the treatment of wounds is microbial infections which usually result in prolonged wound healing. The absorption capacity of wound exudates by most wound dressings is limited, thereby providing an environment for microbial invasion. Most wound dressings do not provide moisture to the wound bed, a crucial feature useful for soothing effects in painful wounds. When compared with other types of wound dressings, hydrogels are most appealing because of their high permeability to nutrients and oxygen, capability to provide a moist environment for accelerated wound healing, biocompatibility, easy removal without causing further skin tear, easy manipulation resulting in good response to changes in environmental factors, non-adherent nature, high water content, and ability to mimic the natural extracellular matrix by providing a platform that supports cellular proliferation, an important feature in skin regeneration. In this chapter, we report the strategies used to develop multicomponent hydrogels, the most recent progress in wound dressing applications, challenges and future perspectives.