Phytocompound-loaded Biomaterial-based Scaffolds: Emerging Strategies for Wound Healing Applications

For effective wound healing, controlled inflammation, vascularization, and the deposition of an organized extracellular matrix are required. Scaffold-based therapies serve as a promising approach in wound healing applications, and they act as a delivery carrier and offer structural support. Recently, phytocompounds, plant-derived molecules, have gained attention for their role in wound healing because they promote collagen deposition and exhibit pro-angiogenic, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and antimicrobial effects. Due to their low solubility, poor stability, and rapid degradation, phytocompounds have limited bioavailability, and, hence, they are less effective in wound healing. Therefore, phytocompound-incorporated scaffolds act as an efficient strategy to overcome these drawbacks. Importantly, structural and microenvironment-modulating benefits of biomaterials, along with bioactivity of plant constituents, will make the phytocompound-incorporated scaffolds an advanced wound-healing system. This review provides a comprehensive overview of modern wound-healing strategies, highlighting the function of scaffolds as versatile biomaterial matrices. The incorporation of phytocompounds into diverse scaffold formats, including hydrogels, nanofibers, sponges, films/membranes, and 3D-printed scaffolds, was critically analyzed. A synergistic combination of biomaterial-based scaffolds and phytocompounds further enhances the woundhealing activities. Preclinical studies evidenced that phytocompound-loaded scaffolds accelerate wound repair, supporting their potential as next-generation therapeutic systems. Thus, this review summarizes current advancements, highlights the advantages of phytocompound-loaded biomaterial-mediated scaffolds, and discusses the key challenges that must be addressed to translate these scaffolds into clinical practice.