Deep Eutectic Solvents in Chronic Wound Management: Current Developments and Future Prospects

Abstract

Chronic wounds pose a significant and growing global health challenge, affecting millions of individuals and often leading to prolonged suffering and increased healthcare costs. A major barrier to effective healing is wound infection, which disrupts the natural repair process and contributes to the chronicity. Therefore, innovative strategies for infection control are urgently required. Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs) have recently gained attention as promising drug delivery systems owing to their multifunctional properties. In addition to serving as penetration enhancers that improve drug permeation, DESs exhibit intrinsic antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities, making them attractive candidates for managing infected wounds. This review highlights the fundamentals of DESs in the context of chronic wound management. It provides an overview of the wound healing process, pathophysiology of chronic wounds, and the role of biofilms in persistent infections. It further explores the dual role of DESs as penetration enhancers and antibiofilm agents, summarizing the recent DES-based formulations under investigation. Finally, this review discusses the current challenges and future prospects of integrating DESs into clinical practice. Collectively, DESs represent novel and versatile therapeutic platforms that have the potential to transform the treatment landscape of chronic wound healing.