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Gels
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Advances in Gels for Wound Treatment
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Advances in Gels for Wound Treatment

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2025) | Viewed by 22996

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Md Shaifur Rahman

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Tissue Banking and Biomaterial Research, Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Dhaka 1349, Bangladesh
Interests: stem cells; developmental biology; signaling pathways; tissue engineering; regenerative medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Pasquale Del Gaudio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Interests: hydrogels; aerogels; controlled drug delivery; wound healing; carbohydrate polymers; microparticles; nanoparticles; nanocomposite; 3D printing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Gel materials have gained significant attention in recent years due to their unique properties and versatile applications in the biomedical field. These materials, characterized by their ability to swell and retain large amounts of water within their network, offer numerous advantages for various bioengineering applications, including drug delivery, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and biosensing. This Special Issue highlights the use of gels as carriers for bioactive agents, including growth factors, antimicrobials, and extracellular matrix components, to promote tissue regeneration, wound healing, and antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, this Special Issue discusses the clinical applications of gel-based wound treatments, such as developing gel-based wound dressings and topical formulations. It evaluates their effectiveness in various wound types, including chronic wounds, burns, and surgical incisions.

This Special Issue provides an excellent platform to present and discuss the design, synthesis, characterization, and utilization of hydrogels and biopolymeric gels and formulation strategies to enhance their properties and effectiveness in wound healing.

This Special Issue comprises original research articles as well as comprehensive reviews, communications, and perspectives and aims to provide a platform to guide future work in this subject matter.

Dr. Md Shaifur Rahman
Prof. Dr. Pasquale Del Gaudio
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • wound treatment
  • wound healing
  • gel biomaterials
  • drug delivery
  • formulation strategies
  • bioactive agents
  • tissue regeneration
  • wound dressings
  • clinical applications

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

31 pages, 14746 KiB  
Article
Plant-Derived B-CGT Hydrogel Accelerates Diabetic Wound Healing Through Multitarget Modulation of Inflammation, Angiogenesis, and Tissue Remodeling
by Fei Ran, Kailang Mu, Lingli Zhou, Leqiang Peng, Gang Liu, Yuchen Liu, Yuxin Pang, Guo Feng, Changmao Guo, Tianjian Wang and Qiumei Luo
Gels 2025, 11(2), 104; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11020104 - 2 Feb 2025
Viewed by 755
Abstract
Diabetic wound healing presents significant challenges due to impaired angiogenesis, chronic inflammation, and cellular dysfunction. Building on previous research, this study further explores the potential of a plant-derived glucosyloxybenzyl 2-isobutylmalates (B-CGT) hydrogel in promoting diabetic wound healing. Network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses [...] Read more.
Diabetic wound healing presents significant challenges due to impaired angiogenesis, chronic inflammation, and cellular dysfunction. Building on previous research, this study further explores the potential of a plant-derived glucosyloxybenzyl 2-isobutylmalates (B-CGT) hydrogel in promoting diabetic wound healing. Network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses suggest that B-CGT may regulate key mechanisms, such as apoptosis, inflammation, and matrix remodeling, through core targets including SIRT1, CASP8, and MMP8. In vivo studies further demonstrated that B-CGT hydrogel significantly accelerated wound closure in diabetic mice, enhanced angiogenesis, promoted collagen deposition, and achieved immune balance by modulating macrophage polarization, thereby shifting the inflammatory environment toward a repair state. Moreover, B-CGT hydrogel significantly improved the wound microenvironment by upregulating VEGF expression and exerting antioxidant effects. By combining theoretical predictions with experimental validation, this study elucidates the multi-target synergistic regulatory mechanisms of B-CGT hydrogel. These findings provide new research directions for addressing immune imbalance and angiogenesis defects in diabetic wound healing and lay a scientific foundation for the optimization and application of chronic wound treatment strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Gels for Wound Treatment)
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15 pages, 3231 KiB  
Article
An Evaluation of Cellulose Hydrogels Derived from tequilana Weber Bagasse for the Regeneration of Gingival Connective Tissue in Lagomorphs
by Silvia López-Domínguez, Juan Carlos Cuevas-González, León Francisco Espinosa-Cristóbal, Judith Virginia Ríos-Arana, Rosa Alicia Saucedo Acuña, María Verónica Cuevas-González, Erasto Armando Zaragoza-Contreras and Karla Lizette Tovar Carrillo
Gels 2025, 11(1), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11010075 - 18 Jan 2025
Viewed by 654
Abstract
Cellulose hydrogels derived from agave bagasse were formulated to promote the regeneration of gingival connective tissue in lagomorphs. Three treatment modalities were randomly implanted in the gingival diastema area in 16 rabbits. The general characteristics were analyzed and histopathological studies were carried out [...] Read more.
Cellulose hydrogels derived from agave bagasse were formulated to promote the regeneration of gingival connective tissue in lagomorphs. Three treatment modalities were randomly implanted in the gingival diastema area in 16 rabbits. The general characteristics were analyzed and histopathological studies were carried out at 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks. A chi-squared test was performed using IBM-SPSS version 25, indicating that cellulose hydrogels implanted in lagomorph’s gingival tissue showed the presence of greater angiogenesis and fibrogenesis at the four evaluation intervals during 16 consecutive weeks. The presence of inflammatory infiltrates had no significant impact. No significant changes were observed in body weight and water and food intake. This suggests that hydrogels contribute to the regeneration and/or repair of oral connective tissue, showing angiogenesis and fibrogenesis in 50 to 100% of rabbits tested with hydrogel cellulose membrane. Regarding angiogenesis, in the specimens where membranes were implanted, its presence predominated in all variants (50%), followed by diffuse angiogenesis (37.5%), and finally the absence of angiogenesis (12.5%). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Gels for Wound Treatment)
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20 pages, 4722 KiB  
Article
Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Size-Sorted Gelatin Hydrogel Microparticles Show Enhanced In Vitro Wound Healing Activities
by Derya Ozhava, Cemile Bektas, Kathleen Lee, Anisha Jackson and Yong Mao
Gels 2024, 10(2), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10020097 - 26 Jan 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2529
Abstract
The demand for innovative therapeutic interventions to expedite wound healing, particularly in vulnerable populations such as aging and diabetic patients, has prompted the exploration of novel strategies. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapy emerges as a promising avenue for treating acute and chronic wounds. [...] Read more.
The demand for innovative therapeutic interventions to expedite wound healing, particularly in vulnerable populations such as aging and diabetic patients, has prompted the exploration of novel strategies. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapy emerges as a promising avenue for treating acute and chronic wounds. However, its clinical application faces persistent challenges, notably the low survivability and limited retention time of engraftment in wound environments. Addressing this, a strategy to sustain the viability and functionality of human MSCs (hMSCs) in a graft-able format has been identified as crucial for advanced wound care. Hydrogel microparticles (HMPs) emerge as promising entities in the field of wound healing, showcasing versatile capabilities in delivering both cells and bioactive molecules/drugs. In this study, gelatin HMPs (GelMPs) were synthesized via an optimized mild processing method. GelMPs with distinct diameter sizes were sorted and characterized. The growth of hMSCs on GelMPs with various sizes was evaluated. The release of wound healing promoting factors from hMSCs cultured on different GelMPs were assessed using scratch wound assays and gene expression analysis. GelMPs with a size smaller than 100 microns supported better cell growth and cell migration compared to larger sizes (100 microns or 200 microns). While encapsulation of hMSCs in hydrogels has been a common route for delivering viable hMSCs, we hypothesized that hMSCs cultured on GelMPs are more robust than those encapsulated in hydrogels. To test this hypothesis, hMSCs were cultured on GelMPs or in the cross-linked methacrylated gelatin hydrogel (GelMA). Comparative analysis of growth and wound healing effects revealed that hMSCs cultured on GelMPs exhibited higher viability and released more wound healing activities in vitro. This observation highlights the potential of GelMPs, especially those with a size smaller than 100 microns, as a promising carrier for delivering hMSCs in wound healing applications, providing valuable insights for the optimization of advanced therapeutic strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Gels for Wound Treatment)
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Review

Jump to: Research

36 pages, 3554 KiB  
Review
Advancements in Wound Dressing Materials: Highlighting Recent Progress in Hydrogels, Foams, and Antimicrobial Dressings
by Adina Alberts, Dana-Ionela Tudorache, Adelina-Gabriela Niculescu and Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu
Gels 2025, 11(2), 123; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11020123 - 7 Feb 2025
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3233
Abstract
Recent advancements in wound dressing materials have significantly improved acute and chronic wound management by addressing challenges such as infection control, moisture balance, and enhanced healing. Important progress has been made, especially with hydrogels, foams, and antimicrobial materials for creating optimized dressings. Hydrogels [...] Read more.
Recent advancements in wound dressing materials have significantly improved acute and chronic wound management by addressing challenges such as infection control, moisture balance, and enhanced healing. Important progress has been made, especially with hydrogels, foams, and antimicrobial materials for creating optimized dressings. Hydrogels are known for maintaining optimal moisture levels, while foam dressings are excellent exudate absorbents. Meanwhile, antimicrobial dressing incorporates various antimicrobial agents to reduce infection risks. These dressing options reduce wound healing time while focusing on customized patient needs. Therefore, this review highlights the newest research materials and prototypes for wound healing applications, emphasizing their particular benefits and clinical importance. Innovations such as stimuli-responsive hydrogels and hybrid bioengineered composites are discussed in relation to their enhanced properties, including responsiveness to pH, temperature, glucose, or enzymes and drug delivery precision. Moreover, ongoing clinical trials have been included, demonstrating the potential of emerging solutions to be soon translated from the laboratory to clinical settings. By discussing interdisciplinary approaches that integrate advanced materials, nanotechnology, and biological insights, this work provides a contemporary framework for patient-centric, efficient wound care strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Gels for Wound Treatment)
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21 pages, 3396 KiB  
Review
Hydrogels and Wound Healing: Current and Future Prospects
by Varshan Gounden and Moganavelli Singh
Gels 2024, 10(1), 43; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10010043 - 5 Jan 2024
Cited by 81 | Viewed by 13945
Abstract
The care and rehabilitation of acute and chronic wounds have a significant social and economic impact on patients and global health. This burden is primarily due to the adverse effects of infections, prolonged recovery, and the associated treatment costs. Chronic wounds can be [...] Read more.
The care and rehabilitation of acute and chronic wounds have a significant social and economic impact on patients and global health. This burden is primarily due to the adverse effects of infections, prolonged recovery, and the associated treatment costs. Chronic wounds can be treated with a variety of approaches, which include surgery, negative pressure wound therapy, wound dressings, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. However, each of these strategies has an array of limitations. The existing dry wound dressings lack functionality in promoting wound healing and exacerbating pain by adhering to the wound. Hydrogels, which are commonly polymer-based and swell in water, have been proposed as potential remedies due to their ability to provide a moist environment that facilitates wound healing. Their unique composition enables them to absorb wound exudates, exhibit shape adaptability, and be modified to incorporate active compounds such as growth factors and antibacterial compounds. This review provides an updated discussion of the leading natural and synthetic hydrogels utilized in wound healing, details the latest advancements in hydrogel technology, and explores alternate approaches in this field. Search engines Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science were utilized to review the advances in hydrogel applications over the last fifteen years. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Gels for Wound Treatment)
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