THE USE OF POLOXAMER 188 IN BURN INJURY TREATMENT: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Although there have been numerous advancements in burn wound management, burn injuries are still a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, and novel therapeutics are still needed to improve outcomes. Poloxamer 188 (P188) is a synthetic copolymer with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval that has many biological applications. This study aimed to review the literature on P188 in burn injuries and its effects based on burn mechanisms. We employed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to complete this systematic literature review. We searched the databases of Google Scholar, PubMed, and SCOPUS using the keywords burn, p188, poloxamer 188, and pluronic F68 in combination. Two reviewers independently screened the articles for inclusion. Articles that were not in English, were book chapters or conference proceedings, or did not evaluate P188 in the setting of burn injuries were excluded. We included a total of 33 full-text articles with both in vivo and in vitro preclinical studies. P188 was found to be beneficial in animal and cell studies evaluating electrical and thermal burn injuries. P188 was also found to be useful in burn wound management. Although its utility may be limited in radiation injuries, P188 may be helpful in delaying the initial damage caused by radiation burns. P188 therefore has the potential to be used as a therapy in both burn wound management and in the treatment of systemic injuries sustained through burns. Future studies should aim to assess the efficacy of P188 in clinical models of burn injury.