Progress in the Use of Hydrogels for Antioxidant Delivery in Skin Wounds

Pharmaceutics. 2024 Apr 10;16(4):524. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16040524.

Abstract

The skin is the largest organ of the body, and it acts as a protective barrier against external factors. Chronic wounds affect millions of people worldwide and are associated with significant morbidity and reduced quality of life. One of the main factors involved in delayed wound healing is oxidative injury, which is triggered by the overproduction of reactive oxygen species. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic wounds, where it is known to impair wound healing by causing damage to cellular components, delaying the inflammatory phase of healing, and inhibiting the formation of new blood vessels. Thereby, the treatment of chronic wounds requires a multidisciplinary approach that addresses the underlying causes of the wound, provides optimal wound care, and promotes wound healing. Among the promising approaches to taking care of chronic wounds, antioxidants are gaining interest since they offer multiple benefits related to skin health. Therefore, in this review, we will highlight the latest advances in the use of natural polymers with antioxidants to generate tissue regeneration microenvironments for skin wound healing.

Keywords: antioxidants; biomaterials; regenerative medicine; tissue engineering; wound healing.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

This work was assisted by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness (PID2022-139746OB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) and received technical support from the ICTS NANBIOSIS (Drug Formulation Unit, U10) at the University of the Basque Country. Maeso L also thanks the Basque Government for awarding the Ph.D. grant (PRE_2022_1_0053). The authors would like to acknowledge grants from the Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBACYT 20020150100056BA and PIDAE 2022 (Martín F. Desimone), and from CONICET PIP 0826 (Martín F. Desimone).