Bioinspired hybrid patches with self-adhesive hydrogel and piezoelectric nanogenerator for promoting skin wound healing

Abstract

Wound management is a crucial measure for skin wound healing and is significantly important to maintaining the integrity of skins and their functions. Electrical stimulation at the wound site is a compelling strategy for skin wound repair. However, there has been an urgent need for wearable and point-of-care electrical stimulation devices that have self-adhesive and mechanical properties comparable to wound tissue. Herein, we develop a bioinspired hybrid patch with self-adhesive and piezoelectric nanogenerator (HPSP) for promoting skin wound healing, which is composed of a mussel-inspired hydrogel matrix and a piezoelectric nanogenerator based on aligned electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanofibers. The device with optimized modulus and permeability for skin wear can self-adhere to the wound site and locally produce a dynamic voltage caused by motion. We show that the HPSP not only promotes fibroblast proliferation and migration in vitro, but also effectively facilitates the collagen deposition, angiogenesis, and re-epithelialization in vivo with the increased expressions of crucial growth factors. The HPSP reduces the wound closure time of full-thickness skin defects by about 1/3, greatly accelerating the healing process. This patch can serve as wearable and real-time electrical stimulation devices, potentially useful in clinical applications of skin wound healing.