Therapeutic and pro-healing potential of advanced wound dressings loaded with bioactive agents

Chronic skin wound infections are inextricably linked with high mortality rates. With the rise in the aging population and the threat of diabetes, obesity and lifestyle-based diseases, the risk incurred from invasive wound pathogens has been ever escalating. Thus, more efficacious wound care management is necessary to cope with such morbid illnesses. A plethora of bioactive agents, such as antibiotics, phytochemicals, essential oils, phages among others, has been exploited to develop wound dressings, raising tremendous interest in their prospective use as wound care products. The present review critically focuses on the therapeutic implications of advanced wound dressings that have assisted in the expansion of regenerative medicine and also discusses the practical concerns that have limited their bench-to-market entry.