Structural and functional modification of electrospun nanofibers for wound healing.

Abstract

Effective wound repair requires a tightly regulated balance of cellular and molecular processes; however, conventional dressings primarily provide passive protection and often fail to actively guide tissue regeneration. Electrospun nanofibers have emerged as promising biomaterials due to their nanoscale architecture that mimics the extracellular matrix and their capacity for controlled therapeutic delivery. This review examines recent strategies designed to enhance the structural stability, mechanical performance, and biological functionality of electrospun nanofibers for advanced wound healing applications. Recent literature was evaluated to identify key material design approaches, supramolecular interactions, and post-fabrication modifications that improve scaffold performance and therapeutic outcomes. Native electrospun nanofibers are limited by instability in moist environments, insufficient mechanical resilience, and unpredictable release kinetics. Emerging solutions include structural modifications such as fiber alignment, multilayered architectures, and wettability tuning, as well as supramolecular strategies leveraging hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, van der Waals forces, and hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance. Post-fabrication techniques, including plasma activation, layer-by-layer assembly, UV crosslinking, and hybrid composite formation, further enable the incorporation of antimicrobial, antioxidant, angiogenic, and immunomodulatory functionalities. These advances transform electrospun scaffolds from passive barriers into interactive platforms capable of regulating the wound microenvironment. By linking material design to biological outcomes, this review provides a framework for the rational development of next-generation multifunctional electrospun nanofibers with the potential to accelerate tissue repair and improve healing quality.