Thermo-Sensitive Polymeric Networks for Next-Generation Wound Management: A Review

Wound healing is a dynamic and highly coordinated biological process involving hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and tissue remodeling. However, chronic wounds such as diabetic ulcers, burn injuries, and infected wounds often fail to progress through the normal healing cascade due to persistent inflammation, bacterial infection, excessive oxidative stress, and impaired angiogenesis. Conventional wound dressings and topical therapies frequently show limited therapeutic efficacy because of poor adaptability to the wound microenvironment, inadequate drug retention, and uncontrolled drug release. In this context, thermo-sensitive polymeric networks have emerged as promising smart biomaterials for next-generation wound management. These materials exhibit temperature-responsive sol-gel phase transitions, enabling injectable or topical formulations that transform into stable hydrogels at physiological temperature, thereby ensuring conformal wound coverage, improved drug retention, and sustained therapeutic release. Thermo-responsive polymers such as poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), poloxamers, and chitosan-based derivatives have demonstrated significant potential in promoting wound repair through controlled delivery of antimicrobial agents, growth factors, natural bioactive compounds, and nanotherapeutics. Furthermore, the integration of nanomaterials and multifunctional components within thermo-responsive networks can enhance antibacterial activity, reduce inflammation, stimulate angiogenesis, and accelerate tissue regeneration. This review highlights recent advances in thermo-sensitive polymeric networks for wound management, focusing on material design strategies, therapeutic mechanisms, and biomedical applications. Additionally, current challenges, translational perspectives, and future opportunities for developing multifunctional and clinically adaptable thermo-responsive wound dressings are discussed.