Polymer in hemostasis and follow-up wound healing

Abstract

Polymers offer unique functional properties that lead to some novel applications every other day. Bioactive polymers with high degree of biodegradability, nonimmunogenicity, and biocompatibility are considered for applications in wound healing. The most basic form of wound protection is by gauge dressing that isolates the wound from contaminants. Natural polymers for example, cellulose, alginate, chitosan, starch, dextran, gelatin, hyaluronic acid, glycan, collagen, and synthetic polymers including polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) are candidates for these applications. Biopolymers, when applied as wound dressing promote tissue healing and repair by (i) regulating the moist environment, and (ii) providing the needed growth factors, while offering anti-inflammatory, immune-modulatory, and cell proliferative properties. It induces hemostasis via direct interaction with erythrocytes and platelets. These polymers in cross linked state offer a scaffold for cell proliferation, differentiation, and cell migration. Further, these polymeric materials can be utilized to form permeable envelopes around the hemostatic and wound healing agents to leverage a favorable release kinetics. The fabrication strategies and their reported efficacy are reviewed in this article.