Wounds and the Microbiota: The Healing Interplay Between Host and Microbial Communities

Chronic, non-healing wounds represent a major global health challenge, often aggravated by microbial dysbiosis and impaired host responses. Wound healing progresses through four overlapping phases-hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling-yet recent findings reveal that the skin microbiota actively participates in each step through immune, metabolic, and signaling mechanisms. Beneficial microorganisms such as Staphylococcus epidermidis and Lactobacillus plantarum promote tissue repair by inducing antimicrobial peptides and modulating cytokine production, whereas opportunistic pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis) delay closure via biofilm formation and proteolytic activity. This review integrates current molecular insights and bibliometric trends to highlight advances and remaining challenges in understanding the wound-microbiome axis. A deeper grasp of these interactions can inform next-generation, microbiome-targeted therapies for chronic wounds.