Functionalized peptide hydrogels: enabling dynamic stage-adaptive modulation for wound healing.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Wound Healing

Background:

• Functionalized peptide hydrogels are intelligent wound dressings.
• They dynamically coordinate wound healing through stage-specific bioactivities.
• These hydrogels leverage programmable molecular designs for spatiotemporal control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the multifaceted role of peptide hydrogels in wound healing.
• To highlight their ability to engage with key healing phases.
• To discuss their potential in precision wound management.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing programmable molecular designs for hydrogel fabrication.
• Incorporating antimicrobial peptides (e.g., EPL, LL37, TCP-25) for antibiosis and inflammation modulation.
• Integrating angiogenic factors (e.g., VEGF, SDF-1) and MMP-responsive components for vascularization and remodeling.
• Employing integrin-binding motifs (e.g., RGD) to enhance cell adhesion and migration.

Main Results:

• Hydrogels demonstrate stage-specific bioactivities for hemostasis, antibiosis, inflammation resolution, angiogenesis, and tissue remodeling.
• Antimicrobial peptides reduce pathogens and modulate macrophages.
• Angiogenic factors promote vascularization, while MMP-responsive elements aid ECM remodeling.
• Integrin-binding motifs accelerate re-epithelialization.

Conclusions:

• Functionalized peptide hydrogels offer synergistic therapeutic outcomes with self-healing, injectability, and responsiveness.
• Future directions include multi-stimuli-responsive systems and advanced delivery platforms.
• These advancements aim to improve clinical translation in precision wound management and regenerative medicine.