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Designing Gels for Wound Dressing (2nd Edition)
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Designing Gels for Wound Dressing (2nd Edition)

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 8638

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Kannan Badri Narayanan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-ro, Gyeongsan-si 38541, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea
Interests: nanobiotechnology; tissue engineering; nanomaterials; nanofabrication; microbiology; molecular biology; protein chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, healthcare is facing a growing problem of traumatic wounds causing death. Skin is the major external defense system that protects the body from microbial infections and external environmental stressors. In developing countries, >90% of accidents cause skin injuries and subsequent deaths yearly. Molecules controlling inflammation and tissue repair are often associated with wound healing, and these factors’ dysregulation leads to mortality in wounded patients. To promote wound healing and skin tissue repair, effective wound dressing materials are active supplements to overcome the limitations of natural wound repair processes and to avoid scar formation. Hydrogels can be used as an active wound dressing material to enhance the repair process by maintaining optimal conditions for wound healing. The advantages of hydrogel dressings over conventional dressings are numerous. A topical application can help remove infected and necrotic tissue from dry wounds, scabs, and necrotic wounds and keep them clean. 

Designing hydrogels with spatiotemporal regulation in the drug release for the wound-healing process is critical in wound management. As a multidisciplinary topic, this Special Issue will assist chemists, material scientists, engineers, and medical practitioners in understanding the benefits and limitations of hydrogels to build and create therapeutically beneficial biomaterial platforms for translational applications. It can also bring out the recent advances and novel methodologies in designing and developing active hydrogels to treat and heal wounds for cost-effective treatment. Furthermore, this field invites research on innovative functionalization chemistries, variable combinations/compositions of natural and synthetic hydrogels, introducing natural therapies, creating dynamic crosslinking chemistries, and fabricating multi-modal and intelligent hydrogels for wound management.

We gladly receive research and review articles relevant to the topics below, and other highly significant articles closely related to these topics are also welcome.

  • Novel crosslinking methods in designing hydrogels; 
  • Three-dimensional/four-dimensional-printed hydrogels for wound healing; 
  • Antibacterial hydrogels in wound dressing;
  • Biopolymer-based hydrogels in wound healing;
  • Metal nanocomposite hydrogels for wound healing;
  • Hydrogels for controlled drug delivery; 
  • Self-healing hydrogels for wound management;
  • Smart responsive hydrogels for specific wound healing;
  • Functional hydrogels for wound healing. 

Dr. Kannan Badri Narayanan
Guest Editor

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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

  • hydrogels
  • biopolymers
  • nanocomposite
  • antibacterial
  • wound healing
  • wound dressing
  • wound management

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 8834 KB  
Article
Development of Curcumin/ADP-Loaded Gelatin Methacrylate Hydrogel for Enhanced Wound Healing with Hemostatic, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antibacterial Properties
by Awn Abbas, Nanxin Li, Sameera Naseer, Lian Chen, Xiaoyang Ai, Yixing Chen, Chongde Gu and Hualin Fu
Gels 2026, 12(6), 456; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12060456 (registering DOI) - 22 May 2026
Abstract
Gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogels are promising carriers for bioactive agents like curcumin (Cur) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) in wound healing. However, existing GelMA-based systems fail to achieve both rapid hemostasis and sustained anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we developed a Cur/ADP GelMA hydrogel, [...] Read more.
Gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogels are promising carriers for bioactive agents like curcumin (Cur) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) in wound healing. However, existing GelMA-based systems fail to achieve both rapid hemostasis and sustained anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we developed a Cur/ADP GelMA hydrogel, and evaluated its anti-inflammatory, regenerative, hemostatic, and biocompatible properties. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) analysis showed that a 65% degree of substitution of GelMA is optimal for wound dressings. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a uniform pore size, aiding inflammatory exudate removal. The Cur/ADP GelMA hydrogel exhibited strong adhesion, stability, and antibacterial activity, reducing E. coli and S. aureus proliferation by 85% and 72%, respectively. Hemostatic effects were observed, with blood loss reduced to 238 ± 23 mg compared to 559 ± 18 mg in the untreated group. The ELISA results showed reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) and increased IL-10. In vivo studies demonstrated 98% wound closure by day 14, enhanced granulation tissue formation, and a 70% thicker epidermis compared to controls. Mechanistically, ADP accelerates platelet activation and clot formation, while Cur modulates the inflammatory microenvironment, enabling synergistic hemostasis and immune regulation, thus promoting accelerated wound healing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Designing Gels for Wound Dressing (2nd Edition))
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17 pages, 1957 KB  
Article
Multivariate Temporal Inflammatory–Regenerative Signatures of Bovine Platelet-Rich Gel Supernatants Under Different Storage Temperatures
by Jorge U. Carmona and Catalina López
Gels 2026, 12(5), 422; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12050422 - 12 May 2026
Viewed by 237
Abstract
Platelet-rich gel supernatants (PRGS) are increasingly used in veterinary medicine due to their regenerative and immunomodulatory properties; however, most studies focus on individual mediators and provide limited insight into their coordinated biological behavior. This study aimed to characterize the integrated inflammatory–regenerative signatures of [...] Read more.
Platelet-rich gel supernatants (PRGS) are increasingly used in veterinary medicine due to their regenerative and immunomodulatory properties; however, most studies focus on individual mediators and provide limited insight into their coordinated biological behavior. This study aimed to characterize the integrated inflammatory–regenerative signatures of bovine PRGS stored under different temperature conditions using a multivariate approach. Concentrations of transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were evaluated in PRGS samples from six clinically healthy cows stored at −80, −20, 4, 21, and 37 °C for up to 326 h. Data were standardized and explored using hierarchical clustering and heatmaps, and principal component analysis (PCA) based on area under the concentration–time curve (AUC) was used to integrate temporal behavior. Temperature-dependent multivariate signatures were identified, with frozen PRGS clustering separately from samples stored at moderate temperatures. The first two principal components explained 43.0% and 28.9% of the variance and defined an inflammatory–regenerative gradient contrasting TGF-β1/IL-2 versus TNF-α/IL-6 profiles. Linear mixed-effects modeling showed that PC1 was significantly affected by temperature and time (p < 0.001), whereas PC2 was influenced by temperature, time, and their interaction (p ≤ 0.048). Differences among temperatures were minimal at early time points but became more pronounced from 48 to 96 h onward, following a temperature gradient with higher values at moderate temperatures and lower values under frozen conditions. These findings indicate that storage temperature reshapes the integrated biological profile of PRGS, rather than merely preserving mediator composition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Designing Gels for Wound Dressing (2nd Edition))
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26 pages, 6025 KB  
Article
Biocompatible Photocrosslinked Chitosan- and Gelatin-Based Hydrogels for Wound Healing Applications
by Isabella Nacu, Andreea Vasilache, Catalina Anisoara Peptu, Liliana Verestiuc and Andreea Luca
Gels 2026, 12(4), 290; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12040290 - 29 Mar 2026
Viewed by 2064
Abstract
The study presents novel photocrosslinked hydrogels based on methacrylated chitosan and methacrylated gelatin/allyl-modified gelatin and compares their properties as drug delivery systems in wound healing applications. The polymers were selected due to their biocompatible, mucoadhesive, cell-interactive properties and flexibility in adjusting their structure, [...] Read more.
The study presents novel photocrosslinked hydrogels based on methacrylated chitosan and methacrylated gelatin/allyl-modified gelatin and compares their properties as drug delivery systems in wound healing applications. The polymers were selected due to their biocompatible, mucoadhesive, cell-interactive properties and flexibility in adjusting their structure, making them suitable candidates for applications that require tissue repair. A range of hydrogel formulations was obtained by modulating the ratio of modified chitosan to two distinct modified gelatins, with photocrosslinking performed using Irgacure 2959 as the photoinitiator. FT-IR analysis, SEM data, and swelling and mechanical properties confirmed the 3D networking and the compatibility between the hydrogel components. Allylic gelatin-based hydrogels present larger pores and a stronger pH-responsive swelling behaviour compared to methacrylated gelatin-based samples, reflecting the higher flexibility of allylic gelatin networks. The hydrogels release bacitracin during the first six hours, with a release profile that follows a non-Fickian diffusion mechanism. Cytocompatibility and wound healing potential were tested in the presence of human and mouse fibroblasts, cells with a pivotal role in the wound healing process. All formulated hydrogels exhibit antioxidant capacity and protein stabilization properties, which are attributed to the presence of chitosan in their composition. The cytocompatibility, in vitro wound healing, and biological properties of the obtained hydrogels, as well as the drug release results, confirm their suitability in wound healing applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Designing Gels for Wound Dressing (2nd Edition))
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18 pages, 7713 KB  
Article
A Novel Polyvinyl Alcohol/Salecan Composite Hydrogel Dressing with Tough, Biocompatible, and Antibacterial Properties for Infected Wound Healing
by Jiayu Li, Can Li, Qi Zhang, Zhenhao Rao, Qinghuan Meng, Miao Li, Juan Dai, Ke Deng and Pengfei Chen
Gels 2026, 12(1), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12010060 - 8 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 828
Abstract
Polysaccharide-based wound dressings face challenges in mechanical properties and effective wound repair for infected wound surfaces. This study presents a novel polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/Salecan (Sal) composite hydrogel dressing with high toughness, biocompatibility, and wound healing capabilities, developed using an interpenetrating polymer network strategy. [...] Read more.
Polysaccharide-based wound dressings face challenges in mechanical properties and effective wound repair for infected wound surfaces. This study presents a novel polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/Salecan (Sal) composite hydrogel dressing with high toughness, biocompatibility, and wound healing capabilities, developed using an interpenetrating polymer network strategy. The primary network was formed through electrostatic interactions between polydopamine (PDA) and biocompatible polysaccharide Salecan, followed by incorporation of AgNO3, which was in situ reduced to silver nanoparticles within the hydrogel. PVA was introduced as a secondary matrix, further reinforcing the hydrogel network through cyclic freeze–thawing. The resulting hydrogel exhibited a tensile strength of 0.31 MPa, an elongation at break of 158.9%, and a toughness of 31.16 J·m−2, demonstrating enhanced mechanical performance compared to both Salecan/PDA and previously reported Salecan/Fe3+ hydrogel. Co-culture experiments showed the hydrogel’s strong antibacterial effects, inhibiting 80.1% of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and 99.5% of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Fibroblast culture tests confirmed its excellent cytocompatibility. In vivo studies on infected wounds showed nearly complete healing in the S. aureus + hydrogel group within 12 days. Quantitative immunohistochemical analysis of CD31 revealed that hydrogel treatment significantly upregulated CD31 expression, indicating enhanced neovascularization. Complementary Western blot analysis further demonstrated that hydrogel-treated groups exhibited a marked downregulation of pro-inflammatory factors alongside CD31 upregulation. In summary, the PVA/Sal-based hydrogel represents a valuable strategy for reducing inflammation and promoting regeneration in the management of infected wounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Designing Gels for Wound Dressing (2nd Edition))
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17 pages, 3942 KB  
Article
Transparent Elastic Wound Dressing Gel Supporting Drug Release: Synergistic Effects of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)/Chitosan Hybrid Matrix
by Lifei Chen, Ningning Yuan, Zhenjiang Tan, Jianwei Zhang, Lishi Zhang, Wenwei Tang, Cheng Chen and Donghai Lin
Gels 2025, 11(10), 771; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11100771 - 25 Sep 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1198
Abstract
Wound infection is one of the most critical factors affecting the healing process. Therefore, the development of wound dressings with excellent antibacterial effects has become a research hotspot in the current academic field. We prepared AgNPs (silver nanoparticles) via a redox method, combined [...] Read more.
Wound infection is one of the most critical factors affecting the healing process. Therefore, the development of wound dressings with excellent antibacterial effects has become a research hotspot in the current academic field. We prepared AgNPs (silver nanoparticles) via a redox method, combined them with Poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan (PVA/CS), and dried the mixture into a film to fabricate a silver-loaded hydrogel film dressing with excellent antibacterial properties. Uniaxial tensile tests on the samples revealed that the prepared film dressings exhibited good mechanical properties, preventing fracture caused by external forces. Protein adsorption experiments indicated their favorable protein adsorption performance, which can adsorb microorganisms on the external surface of the dressing. By leveraging the bactericidal mechanism of AgNPs, the dressing achieves efficient antibacterial effects. Additionally, the dressing prepared by this method features good transparency, facilitating routine observation of the wound area without removing the dressing and maintaining a sterile environment for an extended period. Finally, we verified the drug loading and drug release capabilities of the dressing, and found that it has good drug loading capacity and drug release effect. This preliminarily proves its effectiveness and provides more possibilities for subsequent research on composite drugs. This study provides new insights for exploring the clinical application of multifunctional silver-loaded wound dressings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Designing Gels for Wound Dressing (2nd Edition))
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Review

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23 pages, 1356 KB  
Review
Enhancing Wound Healing Through Secretome-Loaded 3D-Printed Biomaterials
by Tithteeya Rattanachot, Yogeswaran Lokanathan, Mh Busra Fauzi and Manira Maarof
Gels 2025, 11(7), 476; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11070476 - 20 Jun 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3791
Abstract
Wound healing remains a significant hurdle within the field of medical practice, especially concerning chronic and non-healing injuries. Conventional interventions, such as skin grafts, wound dressings, and biomaterials, offer structural support for the regenerated tissues but often lack the biological signaling cues essential [...] Read more.
Wound healing remains a significant hurdle within the field of medical practice, especially concerning chronic and non-healing injuries. Conventional interventions, such as skin grafts, wound dressings, and biomaterials, offer structural support for the regenerated tissues but often lack the biological signaling cues essential for tissue regeneration. However, these approaches often lack the biological signals necessary to promote effective tissue repair. An emerging strategy involves incorporating cell-secreted proteins, known as the secretome, into biomaterials. The secretome contains bioactive elements such as cytokines, growth factors, and extracellular vesicles (EVs), which enhance the wound healing process. This review explores the potential of secretome-loaded biomaterials in modulating inflammation, promoting angiogenesis, and assisting in the remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Recent advancements in biomaterial engineering technology, such as 3-dimensional (3D) bioprinting, have improved the controlled delivery and bioactivity of secretome at the wound site. These gel-based biomaterials enhance wound healing by providing sustained bioactive molecule release, improving cell growth, and tissue repair. Despite these promising outcomes, limitations including variations in secretome composition and difficulties in large-scale production. Hence, secretome-loaded biomaterials offer a promising solution for wound healing, but further research is needed to optimize formulations, ensure stability, and validate clinical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Designing Gels for Wound Dressing (2nd Edition))
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