Smart wound management with sustainable pH sensing and dynamic electrotherapy

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Wound Healing

Background:

• Smart wound management requires real-time monitoring and dynamic treatment capabilities.
• Current wound dressings often lack integrated diagnostic and therapeutic functions.
• Developing multifunctional dressings is crucial for improving patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and develop an innovative multifunctional Janus dressing for smart wound management.
• To enable sustainable pH sensing, dynamic drug delivery, and electrical therapy in infected wounds.
• To create an integrated system for wound diagnosis and personalized treatment.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a Janus dressing with a hydrophilic pH-sensing layer and a hydrophobic drug-delivery layer.
• Incorporation of drug-loaded piezoelectric particles for therapeutic delivery.
• Utilizing wound exudates for autonomous pH sensing and triggering therapeutic interventions.
• Application of external ultrasound for high electric field antibacterial treatment.
• Leveraging body movements for self-powered low electric field stimulation for tissue repair.

Main Results:

• The Janus dressing demonstrated high flexibility (156% elongation) and water absorption (123%).
• Rapid pH sensing (∼1.5 min) and controllable piezoelectricity were achieved.
• Effective antibacterial treatment with up to 97.5% efficacy was observed.
• Accelerated collagen deposition and enhanced tissue regeneration were confirmed in vitro and in vivo.
• The smart system significantly reduced inflammatory responses and improved wound healing.

Conclusions:

• The developed multifunctional Janus dressing offers a promising integrated approach for advanced wound management.
• This smart dressing unifies diagnosis (pH sensing) and dynamic therapy (drug delivery and electrotherapy).
• The strategy shows significant potential for personalized wound care, accelerating healing and improving outcomes.