Advanced electrospun hydrogel fibers for wound healing

Abstract

Various types of biological materials have been developed and applied for tissue regeneration and wound repair. Among them, hydrogel fibers obtained by combining hydrogel with electrospinning provide good tissue matching properties in terms of structure and biological function, thus attracting extensive attention from researchers. Electrospun fibers are made of polymers with adjustable mechanical and degradation properties. Their three-dimensional network structure with a high specific surface area can mimic the structure and characteristics of the natural extracellular matrix, providing more sites for cell adhesion and growth. Meanwhile, hydrogels can yield high water content and present high porosity, elasticity, environmental stimulus responsiveness, and swelling without dissolving, thus being highly compatible with the structure and behavior of human skin tissue. Therefore, integrating these two materials results in hydrogel fibers with the functional characteristics of hydrogels and the structural advantages of fibers, such as high specific surface area, easy weaving, and excellent mechanical properties. Therefore, hydrogel fibers are promising for biomedical applications such as regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and drug delivery. We systematically review the development of hydrogel fiber technology, material selection, and applications in wound healing. First, the development history of hydrogel fiber preparation is briefly introduced. Second, advantages of hydrogel fibers in wound healing are summarized regarding composition, structure, drug loading, and mechanical properties. Recent research and applications based on hydrogel fibers for wound healing are then reported. Finally, multifunctional hydrogel fiber scaffold materials are analyzed, and future research directions are discussed.