Polymeric Nanoparticles for Wound Healing.

ABSTRACT

Skin injury is one of the most prevalent lesions in humans, and many such wounds, including deep burns and chronic skin wounds, are notoriously difficult to heal. It has been established by medical practitioners that current wound therapies are not perfectly effective and are far from satisfactory. Meanwhile, nanotechnologies have made it possible to develop pharmaceutical formulations that can elevate the effectiveness of conventional pharmacotherapies to entirely new heights. Most nanostructured biomaterials used to treat wounds, including those that have helped establish this fascinating subject, have been polymeric. The bibliographic analysis presented here shows a steady growth in the research output of studies on the use of polymeric nanoparticles in wound healing therapies. This article provides an overview of polymeric nanoparticles for the treatment of wounds with an emphasis on different chemistries and polymer-drug combinations that have been proven the most effective. The wound age, pathophysiology, wound healing treatments of the present and past, as well as the physicochemical nature and methods for the synthesis of polymeric nanoparticles, are all covered in the opening parts of the review. The existing polymeric nano-drug delivery systems with the greatest promise for wound healing and skin regeneration are subsequently addressed and their potentials summarized.