Advanced biomaterial strategies for overcoming age-associated wound healing impairments.

Abstract

Dermal wounds represent a substantial global healthcare burden, with significant economic impact and reduced quality of life for affected individuals. As skin ages, the wound healing capacity is significantly diminished through multiple pathways, including reduced cellular proliferation, altered inflammatory responses, impaired vascularization, and decreased extracellular matrix production. With worldwide demographics shifting toward an older population, effective wound management has become an increasingly critical healthcare challenge. Biomaterials have emerged as a powerful tool to address the specific challenges of wound healing by providing structural support and delivering therapeutic agents to facilitate tissue regeneration. These materials can even be engineered to match the specific mechanical properties of aged tissue while simultaneously releasing key age-tailored bioactive molecules, thereby addressing the complex healing deficits in aged skin. Recent advances in aged skin models have established them as crucial platforms for translational research, enabling more accurate prediction of biomaterial performance in elderly patients. Concurrently, composite biomaterials, which combine multiple functionalities in a single platform, have gained prominence as particularly promising clinical solutions. Though significant progress has been made, challenges persist in optimizing material properties and achieving reproducible clinical outcomes, demanding continued research focused specifically on age-related wound healing impairments.