Wound healing materials - a perspective for skin tissue engineering

Skin injury and wound healing are complex biological and intricate processes that involve activation of intercellular pathways, co-ordination of tissue integrity and homeostasis. The wound can be acute and chronic depending upon the nature and depth of the injury. A wide variety of dressing materials is available to enhance the wound healing process. An ideal dressing should act as a three-dimensional template which can mimic extracellular matrix, be biologically stable, flexible and can remove wound exudate by providing a moist environment to the wound site. It should form a protective bed to cover the wound from external hazards. This article presents a review of wound dressings made of natural and synthetic polymers or a combination of both. A variety of commercial wound healing materials is discussed briefly.