The skin is the largest organ in the body and plays an important role in maintaining haemostasis, but not all wounds heal themselves. In cases of severe skin damage and poor health, the skin's ability to heal is significantly reduced. In this case, effective wound closure cannot be achieved and the defect is either filled with non-functional scar tissue or a chronic non-healing wound develops. The use of appropriate wound dressings is therefore critical to the management of these wounds.
Figure 1. Dextran for the development of bioactive wound dressing materials. (Zhao Y, et al.; 2022)
An ideal wound dressing should have antimicrobial properties, provide a moist environment, allow gas exchange, release bioactive substances, modulate inflammatory responses and provide mechanical protection. Various preparation methods and biomaterials have been explored to produce such dressings, including synthetic and/or natural polymers such as polycaprolactone, polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, chitosan, alginate, collagen, etc. Among these candidate materials, dextran has attracted the attention of clinicians and researchers. This polymer is a branched, hydrophilic polysaccharide composed of anhydrous glucose monomers. It has excellent biocompatibility, degradability, non-toxicity and modifiable functional groups.
Role of Biomaterials in Wound Healing
Biomaterials in wound healing can perform two different functions. First, they can act as a scaffold structure on which endogenous cells can attach, migrate, release growth factors, and eventually integrate into the skin tissue. Second, biomaterials can perform passive functions by providing mechanical protection, maintaining a moist environment, and preventing bacterial invasion.
Dextran can be processed by a variety of manufacturing methods to develop wound dressing materials. These include electrospinning, centrifugal spinning, solvent casting, three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting, thermally induced phase separation and pressurized spinning. These techniques have been successfully used to produce a variety of formulations such as hydrogels, fibre patches, membranes, sponges and wafers. Various dextran formulations such as hydrogels, fibres, composites and sponges have been successfully synthesized and tested for their ability to promote wound healing.
Bioactivity of Dextran in Wound Dressings
Glucan has good biocompatibility and biodegradability and can be used as a matrix material for wound dressings. It can provide a suitable environment to promote cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation, thereby accelerating the wound healing process.
Glucan can be combined with antimicrobial agents or antibacterial drugs to form composite materials with good antibacterial properties. These composites can effectively inhibit wound infection, reduce the growth and reproduction of pathogens and promote wound healing.
Glucan can be used as a carrier for drugs, encapsulating the drugs inside, and by controlling the release rate of the drugs, continuous treatment of wounds can be achieved. This controlled release method can improve drug efficacy and reduce drug side effects.
Glucan can promote angiogenesis and the formation of new blood vessels by regulating the release of growth factors and cell adhesion. This helps to provide sufficient oxygen and nutrients to promote wound healing.
Advantages of Composite Dextran Wound Dressing
At present, dextran is usually used in wound care as a mixed dressing with other polysaccharides. Compared with single materials, composite wound care products prepared by mixing dextran with other polysaccharide polymers have the following advantages and characteristics:
- Comprehensive Performance Improvement
The preparation of composite materials can make full use of the advantages of different materials, so that the final product has better performance. For example, the composite material prepared by mixing dextran with other polysaccharide polymers can have multiple functions such as antibacterial, hemostatic, and antioxidant, and can promote wound healing more comprehensively.
- Physical Property Regulation
By adjusting the preparation method of the composite material, its physical properties can be regulated. For example, the mechanical strength and water absorption properties of the composite material can be adjusted by changing the mixing ratio, cross-linking degree, etc. to meet the needs of different wounds.
- Drug Sustained Release Effect
The composite material can be used as a drug carrier to load the drug into the material and achieve a sustained release effect. The composite material prepared by mixing dextran with other polysaccharide polymers can achieve sustained release of drugs, increase the concentration and duration of drugs at the wound, and thus promote wound healing.
Composite materials prepared by mixing dextran with other polysaccharide polymers usually have good biocompatibility, are compatible with tissues and do not cause obvious toxic reactions. This makes the composite materials safer and more reliable in wound care.
Effects of Chemical Modification of Dextran on Wound Healing
Chemical modification and functionalization of dextran can affect its biological activity and application. Researchers prepared functional wound dressings with enhanced antioxidant and antibacterial properties by combining dopamine-modified polymer nanoparticles with oxidized dextran/chitosan mixed hydrogels. This modified and functionalized dextran material can accelerate wound healing. Therefore, chemical modification and functionalization can give dextran materials more biological activities, such as antioxidant and antibacterial functions, thereby improving their application effect in wound dressings.
Conclusion
In conclusion, dextran, as an excellent bioactive wound dressing material, has been used by researchers to develop various new wound care products. Its outstanding biocompatibility, degradability, non-toxicity, and modifiability make it a rising star in the future of wound care.
References
- Zhao Y, Jalili S. Dextran, as a biological macromolecule for the development of bioactive wound dressing materials: A review of recent progress and future perspectives. Int J Biol Macromol. 2022, 207:666-682.
- Qiu X, et al. Antifouling Antioxidant Zwitterionic Dextran Hydrogels as Wound Dressing Materials with Excellent Healing Activities. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2021, 13(6):7060-7069.
