Energy Metabolic Regulatory Materials Promote Wound Healing in Senescent Environment.

Abstract

Chronic wounds, pathological states failing to heal promptly, are especially prevalent among the elderly. This impaired healing in the senescent tissue is predominately attributed to the accumulation of senescent cells and a concomitant decline in energy metabolism, ultimately leading to functional impairment. Existing clinical practices-including debridement, hyperbaric oxygen, antibiotics, and wound dressings-cannot fundamentally resolve this cellular decline. In this context, advanced biomaterials designed to enhance cellular energy metabolism emerge as a viable strategy. This chapter details strategies by which biomaterials enhance skin wound healing in aging environments by modulating energy metabolism. It explains that delayed healing primarily stems from age-associated metabolic and mitochondrial dysregulation, which compromises cellular repair functions. Furthermore, it reviews advanced biomaterial-based approaches that promote healing by delivering metabolites, restoring mitochondrial function, and indirectly modulating stem cells. By targeting energy metabolism to reverse the low-energy state of aged skin, these approaches fundamentally address cellular functional decline and actively foster tissue regeneration. Therefore, this chapter outlines design principles for energy metabolism-modulating biomaterials to aid wound healing in aged skin and highlights recent advances in this field.