Comprehensive Review on Antimicrobial based Hydrogel for Wound Healing

Year : 2025 | Volume : 12 | Issue : 02 | Page : 72 88
    By

    Harmahtab Singh,

  • Manisha Sharma,

  1. Research Scholar, Department of Pharmacy, Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda, Punjab, India
  2. Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacy, Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda, Punjab, India

Abstract

Chronic wounds present a significant clinical challenge due to their prolonged healing time, high risk of infection, and frequent recurrence. The development of novel wound dressings with both healing and antimicrobial properties is essential for effective wound management. This study focuses on the formulation and evaluation of an antimicrobial drug-loaded hydrogel designed to promote chronic wound healing. Chronic wounds are a growing concern in healthcare, often taking weeks or even months to heal and commonly becoming infected along the way. Managing these wounds effectively means not only helping the skin regenerate but also keeping infections under control. Hydrogels have gained attention in wound care because they are soft, soothing, and can keep the wound moist-creating a better environment for healing. When these hydrogels are combined with antimicrobial drugs, they can both protect the wound and fight off harmful microbes at the same time. This review looks at the challenges of chronic wound healing and explains why controlling infection is such a vital part of treatment. It also explores how hydrogels work, their types and properties, and why they are so valuable in wound care. In addition, the review covers different kinds of antimicrobial agents, how they work, and how they can be added to hydrogels to enhance their healing effects. Finally, it discusses how these hydrogel formulations are tested and evaluated. Overall, this review brings together current knowledge to highlight the potential of antimicrobial drug-loaded hydrogels as a smarter, more effective approach to chronic wound management.

Keywords: Hydrogel, Antimicrobial, Wound healing, Wound Care, Drug-loaded Hydrogel.

[This article belongs to Research & Reviews: A Journal of Drug Formulation, Development and Production ]

How to cite this article:
Harmahtab Singh, Manisha Sharma. Comprehensive Review on Antimicrobial based Hydrogel for Wound Healing. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Drug Formulation, Development and Production. 2025; 12(02):72-88.
How to cite this URL:
Harmahtab Singh, Manisha Sharma. Comprehensive Review on Antimicrobial based Hydrogel for Wound Healing. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Drug Formulation, Development and Production. 2025; 12(02):72-88. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/rrjodfdp/article=2025/view=213586


References

  1. Y. Zheng, X.X. Wan, P.A. Kambey, Y. Luo, X.M. Hu, Y.F. Liu, J.Q. Shan, Y.W. Chen, K. Xiong, Therapeutic role of growth factors in treating diabetic wound, world J. Diabetes 14 (2023) 364–395. doi:https://doi.org/10.4239/wjd.v14.i4. 364.
  2. N. Wilkinson, M.J. Hardman, Wound healing: cellular mechanisms and pathological outcomes, Open Biol. 10 (2020) 200223, https://doi.org/10.1098/ rsob.200223.
  3. Blakytny, E.B. Jude, Altered molecular mechanisms of diabetic foot ulcers, Int. J.Low.Extr. Wound. 8 (2009) 95–104, https://doi.org/10.1177/1534734609337151.
  4. Guo S, DiPietro LA. Factors affecting wound healing. J Dent Res. 2010;89(3):219–229.
  5. Bowler PG, Duerden BI, Armstrong DG. Wound microbiology and associated approaches to wound management. ClinMicrobiol Rev. 2001;14(2):244–269.
  6. Boateng JS, Matthews KH, Stevens HNE, Eccleston GM. Wound healing dressings and drug delivery systems: a review. J Pharm Sci. 2008;97(8):2892–2923.
  7. Ahmed EM. Hydrogel: preparation, characterization, and applications: a review. J Adv Res. 2015;6(2):105–121.
  8. Kamoun EA, Kenawy ERS, Chen X. A review on polymeric hydrogel membranes for wound dressing applications: PVA-based hydrogel dressings. J Adv Res. 2017;8(3):217–233.
  9. Gopinath P, Gogoi R, Chattopadhyay S, Ghosh SS. Implications of silver nanoparticle-induced oxidative stress on DNA damage and apoptosis in human lung cancer cell line, A549. Nanomedicine. 2008;4(8):859–870.
  10. Karthikeyan A, Senthil N, Min T. Nanocurcumin: A promising candidate for therapeutic applications. Front Pharmacol. 2020;11:487.
  11. Mandal MD, Mandal S. Honey: its medicinal property and antibacterial activity. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2011;1(2):154–160.
  12. Ghosh A, Das S. Plant extracts as wound healing agents: a review. Pharmacogn Rev. 2019;13(25):42–50
  13. Guo, S., &DiPietro, L. A. (2010). Factors affecting wound healing. Journal of Dental Research, 89(3), 219–229. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022034509359125
  14. Wolcott, R. D., Rhoads, D. D., & Dowd, S. E. (2010). Biofilms and chronic wound inflammation. Journal of Wound Care, 19(8), 320–328.
  15. Sen, C. K. (2009). Wound healing essentials: Let there be oxygen. Wound Repair and Regeneration, 17(1), 1–18.
  16. Brem, H., &Tomic-Canic, M. (2007). Cellular and molecular basis of wound healing in diabetes. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 117(5), 1219–1222.
  17. Ladwig, G. P., Robson, M. C., Liu, R., Kuhn, M. A., Muir, D. F., & Schultz, G. S. (2002). Ratios of activated matrix metalloproteinase-9 to tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 in wound fluids are inversely correlated with healing of pressure ulcers. Wound Repair and Regeneration, 10(1), 26–37.
  18. Falanga, V. (2005). Wound healing and its impairment in the diabetic foot. The Lancet, 366(9498), 1736–1743.
  19. Loots, M. A., Lamme, E. N., Zeegelaar, J., Mekkes, J. R., Bos, J. D., &Middelkoop, E. (1998). Differences in cellular infiltrate and extracellular matrix of chronic diabetic and venous ulcers versus acute wounds. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 111(5), 850–857.
  20. Nunan, R., Harding, K. G., & Martin, P. (2014). Clinical challenges of chronic wounds: searching for an optimal animal model to recapitulate their complexity. Disease Models & Mechanisms, 7(11), 1205–1213.
  21. Eming, S. A., Krieg, T., & Davidson, J. M. (2007). Inflammation in wound repair: molecular and cellular mechanisms. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 127(3), 514–525.
  22. Edwards, R., & Harding, K. G. (2004). Bacteria and wound healing. Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases, 17(2), 91–96.
  23. Bjarnsholt, T., et al. (2008). Why chronic wounds will not heal: a novel hypothesis. Wound Repair and Regeneration, 16(1), 2–10.
  24. Guo, S., &DiPietro, L. A. (2010). Factors affecting wound healing. Journal of Dental Research, 89(3), 219–229.
  25. James, G. A., et al. (2008). Biofilms in chronic wounds. Wound Repair and Regeneration, 16(1), 37–44.
  26. Schultz, G. S., et al. (2003). Wound bed preparation: a systematic approach to wound management. Wound Repair and Regeneration, 11(S1), S1–S28.
  27. Bowler, P. G., et al. (2001). Wound microbiology and associated approaches to wound management. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 14(2), 244–269.
  28. Gottrup, F. (2004). Optimizing wound treatment through health care structuring and professional education. Wound Repair and Regeneration, 12(2), 129–133
  29. Winter, G. D. (1962). Formation of the scab and the rate of epithelialization of superficial wounds in the skin of the young domestic pig. Nature, 193, 293–294.
  30. Thomas, S. (1990). Hydrogel dressings in the management of wounds: A review of the literature. Journal of Wound Care, 4(4), 193–197.
  31. Peppas, N. A., Bures, P., Leobandung, W., & Ichikawa, H. (2000). Hydrogels in pharmaceutical formulations. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 50(1), 27–46
  32. Hoare, T. R., &Kohane, D. S. (2008). Hydrogels in drug delivery: Progress and challenges. Polymer, 49(8), 1993–2007
  33. Boateng JS, et al. (2008). Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 97(8), 2892–2923.
  34. Boateng JS, Catanzano O. Advanced therapeutic dressings for effective wound healing — A review. J Pharm Sci. 2015;104(11):3653–3680. https://doi.org/10.1002/jps.24576.
  35. Peppas NA & Hoffman AS (2012). Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews — Focus on biomedical hydrogels.
  36. Caló E &Khutoryanskiy VV (2015). European Polymer Journal — Reviews hydrogel applications in medicine.
  37. Li J & Mooney DJ (2016). Nature Reviews Materials — Explains how hydrogels are tailored for drug delivery
  38. Guo S, Dipietro LA. Factors affecting wound healing. J Dent Res. 2010;89(3):219–229. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022034509359125.
  39. Dash S, Murthy PN, Nath L, Chowdhury P. Kinetic modeling on drug release from controlled drug delivery systems. Acta Pol Pharm. 2010;67(3):217–223.
  40. H. Wang, B.S. Huang, H.C. Horng, C.C. Yeh, Y.J. Chen, Wound healing, J. Chin. Med. Assoc. 81 (2018) 94–101, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcma.2017.11.002 X. Lin et al. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 285 (2025) 138098
  41. Rodrigues, N. Kosaric, C.A. Bonham, G.C. Gurtner, Wound healing: a cellular perspective, Physiol. Rev. 99 (2019) 665–706, https://doi.org/10.1152/ physrev.00067.2017.
  42. Laurens, P. Koolwijk, M.P. de Maat, Fibrin structure and wound healing, J. Thromb. Haemost. 4 (2006) 932–999, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1538- 7836.2006.01861.x.
  43. Kushwaha, L. Goswami, B.S. Kim, Nanomaterial-based therapy for wound healing, Nanomaterials 12 (2022) 618, https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12040618.
  44. J. Kallis, A.J. Friedman, Collagen powder in wound healing, J. Drugs Dermatol.17 (2018) 403–408.
  45. Naito, T. Iba, N. Takakura, Mechanisms of new blood-vessel formation and proliferative heterogeneity of endothelial cells, Int. Immunol. 32 (2020) 295–305, https://doi.org/10.1093/intimm/dxaa008.
  46. Monika, P.V. Waiker, M.N. Chandraprabha, A. Rangarajan, K.N.C. Murthy, Myofibroblast progeny in wound biology and wound healing studies, Wound Repair Regen. 29 (2021) 531–547, https://doi.org/10.1111/wrr.12937.
  47. Reyhani, M. Tsioumpekou, T. van Wieringen, L. Rask, J. Lennartsson, K. Rubin, PDGF-BB enhances collagen gel contraction through a PI3K-PLCγ-PKC-cofilin pathway, Sci. Rep. 7 (2017) 8924, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-08411-1.
  48. M.G. Hillege, R.A. Galli Caro, C. Offringa, G.M.J. de Wit, R.T. Jaspers, W.M.H., Hoogaars, TGF-β regulates collagen type I expression in myoblasts and myotubes via transient Ctgf and Fgf-2 expression, Cells 9 (2020) 375, https://doi.org/ 10.3390/cells9020375
  49. Boateng, J. S., Matthews, K. H., Stevens, H. N., &Eccleston, G. M. (2008). Wound healing dressings and drug delivery systems: A review. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 97(8), 2892–2923.
  50. Winter, G. D. (1962). Formation of the scab and the rate of epithelialization of superficial wounds in the skin of the young domestic pig. Nature, 193, 293–294.
  51. Thomas, S. (1990). Hydrogel dressings in the management of wounds: A review of the literature. Journal of Wound Care, 4(4), 193–197.
  52. Peppas, N. A., Bures, P., Leobandung, W., & Ichikawa, H. (2000). Hydrogels in pharmaceutical formulations. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 50(1), 27–46.
  53. Hoare, T. R., &Kohane, D. S. (2008). Hydrogels in drug delivery: Progress and challenges. Polymer, 49(8), 1993–2007.
  54. Vowden, P., &Vowden, K. (2017). Wound dressings: Principles and practice. Surgery (Oxford), 35(9), 489–494
  55. M. Duzyj, I.A. Buhimschi, C.A. Laky, G. Cozzini, G. Zhao, M. Wehrum, C.S. Buhimschi, Extravillous trophoblast invasion in placenta accreta is associated with differential local expression of angiogenic and growth factors: a cross- sectional study, Bjog 125 (2018) 1441–1448, https://doi.org/10.1111/147 0528.15176.
  56. E. Talbott, S. Mascharak, M. Griffin, D.C. Wan, M.T. Longaker, Wound healing, fibroblast heterogeneity, and fibrosis, Cell Stem Cell 29 (2022) 1161–1180, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2022.07.006.
  57. Boateng JS, Catanzano O. Advanced therapeutic dressings for effective wound healing — A review. J Pharm Sci. 2015;104(11):3653–3680. https://doi.org/10.1002/jps.24576.
  58. Peppas NA & Hoffman AS (2012). Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews — Focus on biomedical hydrogels.
  59. Caló E &Khutoryanskiy VV (2015). European Polymer Journal — Reviews hydrogel applications in medicine
  60. Hoare TR &Kohane DS (2008). Polymer — Discusses the challenges and progress in hydrogel-based drug delivery.
  61. Lee KY, Mooney DJ. Hydrogels for tissue engineering. Chem Rev. 2001;101(7):1869–1879.
  62. Boateng JS, Matthews KH, Stevens HN, Eccleston GM. Wound healing dressings and drug delivery systems: a review. J Pharm Sci. 2008;97(8):2892–2923.
  63. Qiu Y, Park K. Environment-sensitive hydrogels for drug delivery. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2001;53(3):321–339.
  64. Paul W, Sharma CP. Chitosan and alginate wound dressings: a short review. Trends BiomaterArtif Organs. 2004;18(2):178–186.
  65. Peppas NA, Bures P, Leobandung W, Ichikawa H. Hydrogels in pharmaceutical formulations. Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2000;50(1):27–46.
  66. Hoffman AS. Hydrogels for biomedical applications. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2002;54(1):3–12.
  67. Hydrogel dressing. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogel_dressing
  68. Tavakoli, S., &Klar, A. S. (2020). Advanced Hydrogels as Wound Dressings. Biomolecules, 10(8), 1169. https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/10/8/1169Wikipedia
  69. Mogoşanu, G. D., &Grumezescu, A. M. (2014). Natural and synthetic polymers for wounds and burns dressing. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 463(2), 127–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2013.12.015
  70. Bessa, L. J., Fazii, P., Di Giulio, M., & Cellini, L. (2015). Bactericidal activity of silver nanoparticles against multidrug-resistant bacteria. Frontiers in Microbiology, 6, 1020.
  71. Krause, K. M., Serio, A. W., Kane, T. R., & Connolly, L. E. (2016). Aminoglycosides: An overview. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine, 6(6), a027029. https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a027029
  72. Drlica, K., & Zhao, X. (1997). DNA gyrase, topoisomerase IV, and the 4-quinolones. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, 61(3), 377–392. https://doi.org/10.1128/mmbr.61.3.377-392.1997
  73. McDonnell, G., & Russell, A. D. (1999). Antiseptics and disinfectants: activity, action, and resistance. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 12(1), 147–179.
  74. Boateng JS, et al. (2008). Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 97(8), 2892–2923.
  75. El-Feky GS, et al. (2017). International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 528(1–2), 653–664.
  76. Peppas NA, Khare AR. (1993). Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 11(1–2), 1–35.
  77. Mutalik S, et al. (2006). Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 68(5), 614–617.
  78. Ruel-Gariépy E, Leroux JC. (2004). European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 58(2), 409–426.
  79. Dash S, et al. (2011). ActaPharmaceuticaSinica B, 1(3), 125–131.
  80. Singh BN, Kim KH. (2000). Journal of Controlled Release, 63(3), 235–259.
  81. Lin X, et al. Hydrogel-based therapy for wound healing. Int J Biol Macromol. 2025;285:138098.

Regular Issue Subscription Original Research
Volume 12
Issue 02
Received 15/05/2025
Accepted 03/06/2025
Published 20/06/2025
Publication Time 36 Days


Login


My IP

PlumX Metrics