Harnessing Plant Bioactive Compounds in Biomaterial Scaffolds for Advanced Wound Healing: A Comprehensive Review

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Pharmacology
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Wound healing faces challenges from antibiotic-resistant pathogens, inflammation, and oxidative stress.
• Conventional therapies are often insufficient for complex wound healing.
• Plant bioactive compounds (phytochemicals) possess antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties beneficial for wound repair.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the potential of plant bioactive compounds incorporated into biomaterial scaffolds for enhancing wound healing.
• To explore how these composite systems address challenges like poor solubility and instability of phytochemicals.
• To assess the efficacy of scaffolds in delivering phytochemicals for improved wound regeneration.

Main Methods:

• Structured literature search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (1998-2025).
• Keywords: wound healing, phytochemicals, plant bioactive compounds, scaffolds, hydrogels, electrospinning, 3D bioprinting.
• Analysis of studies on incorporating plant compounds into various biomaterial scaffolds.

Main Results:

• Phytochemical-scaffold composites demonstrate antimicrobial activity against resistant pathogens.
• These systems effectively mitigate oxidative stress and inflammation at the wound site.
• Scaffolds enhance the stability, bioavailability, and sustained release of plant bioactive compounds, promoting angiogenesis and tissue regeneration.

Conclusions:

• Integrating plant bioactive compounds into biomaterial scaffolds represents a promising strategy for next-generation wound healing therapies.
• Scaffolds improve phytochemical delivery, addressing limitations of solubility and stability.
• Further research in scaffold design, formulation standardization, and clinical translation is crucial for therapeutic application.