Types, properties, and applications of polysaccharide-based wound dressings: A review

Abstract

Wound management is a major challenge worldwide, imposing a substantial financial burden on the governments of every country. In recent years, numerous studies have focused on wound dressings that promoted wound healing. Notably, traditional wound dressings (tourniquets, gauze, and bandages) do not respond well to the wound healing process, resulting in poor wound healing. Polysaccharide-based materials (chitosan, sodium alginate, pectin, starch, and cellulose, etc.) are expected to be developed as potential wound dressings due to their low toxicity, good biodegradability, biocompatibility, adhesion, and loading properties. Growing studies have confirmed that polysaccharide-based wound dressings (PWDs) could provide a moist healing environment, promote wound healing, and reduce the risk of infection. An in-depth exploration of the physicochemical and functional properties of PWDs holds significant guiding importance for the designing of PWDs with specific functionalities. Hence, this review systematically introduces the PWDs types. Moreover, this paper comprehensively reviews the physicochemical and functional properties of PWDs. Furthermore, this review also outlines the application of PWDs for different types of wounds. The findings provide valuable insights and guidance for the further development and utilization of PWDs.