Abstract
Disturbing or disrupting the regular healing process of a skin wound may result in its progression to a chronic state. Chronic wounds often lead to increased infection because of their long healing time, malnutrition, and insufficient oxygen flow, subsequently affecting wound progression. Gelatin—the main structure of natural collagen—is widely used in biomedical fields because of its low cost, wide availability, biocompatibility, and degradability. However, gelatin may exhibit diverse tailored physical properties and poor antibacterial activity. Research on gelatin-based biomaterials has identified the challenges of improving gelatin’s poor antibacterial properties and low mechanical properties. In chronic wounds, gelatin-based biomaterials can promote wound hemostasis, enhance peri-wound antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and promote vascular and epithelial cell regeneration. In this article, we first introduce the natural process of wound healing. Second, we present the role of gelatin-based biomaterials and gelatin as an additive in wound healing. Finally, we present the future implications of gelatin-based biomaterials.
1 Introduction
The skin is the largest organ of the human body and the first barrier to protect the body from external interference (). However, skin integrity is often compromised because of trauma, burns, and other factors, leading to a breakdown in the defense barrier. Muscles, organs, and other human body tissues interact directly with the harsh external environment, which not only facilitates infection around the wound but also induces pain and harms the tactile organs (). Wounds are mainly divided into acute and chronic wounds (). Although there is no clear boundary, a wound that does not pass regular repair within 3 months is generally accepted as a chronic wound (). Acute wounds usually heal within a few weeks and are caused by mechanical and thermal injuries (). Chronic wounds are mainly mediated by infection and necrotic tissue; their healing times vary from several months to permanent non-healing (). Chronic wound treatment not only imposes a severe financial burden on patients but also causes tremendous psychological pressure on patients (). Approximately 2%–4% of annual medical expenses in developed countries are reportedly devoted to chronic wound treatment (Olsson et al., 2019). In the United States, approximately six million people suffer from chronic wounds each year. The number of patients suffering from chronic wound non-healing is still on the rise due to factors such as diabetes (Powers et al., 2016; Keni et al., 2023). Therefore, promoting chronic wound healing is one of the urgent issues that clinicians must investigate.
Chronic wounds are formed because of disturbances in the regular healing process, substantially prolonging the healing time. The Wound Healing Association divides chronic wounds into four categories based on etiological causes: pressure, venous, arterial, and diabetic ulcers (Kirsner, 2016). Chronic wounds are often accompanied by severe skin and tissue damage, resulting in poor resistance and local trophic impairment, thereby aggravating wound non-healing (Wilkinson and Hardman, 2020). Wound healing is predicated primarily on the extracellular matrix (ECM), which provides the wound its structure (). However, bacterial and inflammatory factors around chronic wounds do not offer adequate stability to support ECM exchange (Liu et al., 2023a). Wound healing is an important part of the biomedical field, but its development remains in its early stages (Nandhakumar et al., 2022). With the development of biomedicine, gelatin has been used in anti-tumor, tissue repair, regenerative medicine, and many other fields because of its biocompatibility and degradability (Xia et al., 2022a; Xia et al., 2022b; Xia et al., 2023). Gelatin—non-immunogenic and resembles ECM in structure—is essential in wound healing (). In this review, we present the application of gelatin-based biomaterials and gelatin as an additive in wound healing (Table 1; Scheme 1) and analyze the challenges. Finally, we present the future applications of gelatin-based biomaterials.
TABLE 1
| Function | Name | Main composition | Material properties | Results | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hemostasis | Gel adhesive | Sodium alginate and protocatechualdehyde | The gel adhesive had an energy storage modulus of 2400 Pa | Hydrogels have antioxidant and good hemostatic effect | |
| PCGS | Chitosan/gelatin, proanthocyanidins | The zeta potential was 5 ± 1.55 mV | PCGS achieved excellent hemostasis performance in rat femoral artery injury models | Yang et al. (2017) | |
| GTT-3 gelatin | Tannins/gelatin and glutamine transferase | GTT-3 hydrogels had an initial length of 20 mm, a tensile length of 70 mm, and a bond strength of up to 8.5 kPa | GTT-3 hydrogels have good biocompatibility, immediate adhesion, and hemostatic and therapeutic healing effects | Wang et al. (2019) | |
| HI/DA- gelatin | Dopamine, hyaluronic acid, gelatin | The adhesion strength of HI/DA-gel was 27 ± 3 kPa | HI/DA-Gel has high adhesion, therapeutic hemostatic, and wound-healing properties | Zhou et al. (2021) | |
| GT/Ag cryogel | Gelatin/silver nanoparticles | AgNPs had a particle size of 10–20 nm and a gelatin/silver nanoparticle compressive strength of 7 kPa | GT/Ag cryogel has excellent antimicrobial properties and effective absorption of wound exudates | Luo et al. (2022) | |
| GA/ODex/EPL2-B | Gelatin, methacryloyl, dextran oxide, polylysine | The tensile strength of a GA/ODex/EPL2-B group was 16.9 ± 0.44 kPa | GA/ODex/EPL2-B accelerates skin tissue epithelialization, collagen deposition, and angiogenesis by inhibiting bacterial growth | Tang et al. (2020) | |
| Antibacterial | PCL-Cur/GEL-TH core-shell nanofiber membrane | Polycaprolactone, curcumin, gelatin, tetracycline hydrochloride | The PCL-Cur/GEL-TH core-shell nanofiber membrane had a diameter of 178 ± 25 nm | PCL-Cur/GEL-TH enables the continuous release of TH and Cur, maintaining anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects | Rezaii et al. (2019) |
| QCSMOF-Van | Quaternary ammonium salt chitosan, sodium alginate, vancomycin | QCSMOF-Van had a size of about 700 nm | QCSMOF-Van’s versatile strategy with rapid antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, nerve regenerative, and angiogenic abilities contributes to the rapid healing of chronic wounds | ||
| G@Fe/PGD wound dressings | Ferro-metal organic framework, PCL/gelatin/glucose composite fiber web | QCSMOF-Van also had high adhesion strength (34.146 ± 5.032 kPa) and compressive strength (74.667 ± 9.504 kPa) | QCSMOF-Van can promote wound anti-infection and promote wound healing | Porfire et al. (2014) | |
| AgPOM nanoparticles | Polyoxometallic oxides (AgPOM), urea, gelatin, and tea polyphenols | AgPOM nanoparticles had a particle size of about 70 nm | The hydrogels have high bactericidal ability against drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, revealing a significant therapeutic effect on infected wounds by synergistic photothermal/chemokinetic therapy | ||
| Gel&Fuc-TAHydrogel | Gelatin - fucoin - tannins | Gel&Fuc-TA obtained a porous structure (1.9–5.26 μm) | The Gel&Fuc-TA hydrogels controlled the release of Fuc and TA, providing good antioxidant and antibacterial properties | Zhang et al. (2023) | |
| Alg-DA gelatin bracket | Dopamine, alginate, gelatin | The compressive strength of the hydrogel stent was 1.42 ± 0.24 Mpa | The hydrogel scaffolds had potent antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria | Lu et al. (2022a) | |
| Anti-inflammatory | Inflammatory reactive hydrogel | 3-Carboxyphenylboronic acid, polyvinyl acetate, nimesulide | The Inflammatory reactive hydrogels had a diameter of 64.25 nm and a potential value of 23.6 mV | Inflammatory reactive hydrogels promote the healing of infected wounds by sequential hemostasis and antibacterial and anti-inflammatory processes | |
| Tsg-THA&Fe Hydrogel | Fe3+ and 2,3,4-Trihydroxybenzyl, tilapia skin gelatin | The maximum compressive stress of Tsg-THA&Fe hydrogels was 23 N | Tsg-THA&Fe hydrogels reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-2, IL-6, and IL-8β and upregulated the expression of IL-1, Arg-10, and TGF-β | Zheng et al. (2000) | |
| C60@PDA/GelMA Hydrogel | Gelatin methacryloyl, PDA | C60@PDA/GelMA hydrogels exhibited a low compressive strength of 3.7 kPa and a compressive fracture strain of 135% | Hydrogels improve healing by relieving oxidative stress and inflammation and promoting reepithelialization, collagen deposition, and neovascularization | Wang et al. (2021) | |
| Complex hydrogel | Curcumin-terminated silver nanoparticles, gelatin, chitosan, polydopamine | The complex hydrogels had a high adhesion strength of 55 ± 1 kPa | Complex hydrogels have bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties | Zhang et al. (2018b) | |
| PH/GMs@bFGF&PDA | Basic fibroblast growth factor, polydopamine, gelatin, polyvinyl acetate (PVA), hyaluronic acid | The adhesion of PH/GMs@bFGF&PDA was 101.46 ± 10.88 kPa | PH/GMs@bFGF&PDA significantly relieves inflammation and promotes the secretion of collagen I, thereby enhancing wound healing through its synergistic effect of shape adaptability and high adhesion properties | Yu et al. (2016) | |
| Promotes vascular regeneration | GelMA + cADSC-CM | Gelatin methacrylic, fat-derived mesenchymal stem cells | The pore size of the GelMA + cADSC-CM hydrogels was 342.3 μm | GelMA + cADSC-CM accelerates wound healing and angiogenesis of aged skin in vivo | |
| ADA-GEL/BBG/ASX composite | alginate dialdehyde–gelatin, borate bioactive glass, astaxanthin | BBG particle sizes ranged from 10 to 100 μm | ADA-GEL/BBG/ASX composites are an attractive biomaterial for the development of multipurpose wound healing structures through 3D printing | ||
| DMN@TH/rh-EGF | Tetracycline hydrochloride, recombinant human epidermal growth factor, gelatin, carboxymethyl chitosan, hyaluronic acid | The height of DMN@TH/rh-EGF was ≈780 μm | DMN@TH/rh-EGF patch can suppress inflammation and promote angiogenesis, collagen deposition, and tissue regeneration during wound healing | ||
| CvMN | Polyvinyl acetate, gelatin methacryloyl, Chlorella vulgaris | The CvMN height was 600 μm | CvMN has shown good therapeutic efficacy in treating skin wounds in a mouse model of diabetes | Liu et al. (2023b) | |
| PU/Gel/KTC mats | Hydrogen sulfide, polyurethane (PU) and gelatin | PU/Gel/KTC mats achieved water absorption of 400% of its volume | PU/Gel/KTC mats can accelerate granulation tissue formation, enhance collagen deposition, and promote angiogenesis | ||
| Fibrous Membrane Scaffolds | PLGA/Gelatin/Hyaluronic Acid Fibrous | The average fiber diameter of PG was 1014 ± 15 nm | Fibrous Membrane Scaffolds treat wounds by modulating the immune response, promoting angiogenesis, and reducing scarring at the wound site | ||
| Promotes epidermal regeneration | GEL/APS NFM | Gelatin and astragalus polysaccharides | The average diameter of GEL/APS NFM was 773 nm, and its elongation reached 514.6% | GEL/APS NFM can exert anti-inflammatory, procollagen deposition, and pro-angiogenic effects | Lasram et al. (2015) |
| Gelatin microspheres | GelMA, umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells | — | Gelatin microspheres can cause new collagen deposition and angiogenesis, accelerating wound healing and skin tissue regeneration | Liu et al. (2011) | |
| GelMA/Mg/Zn hydrogel | zinc and magnesium granules, GelMA | GelMA/Mg/Zn hydrogels had a pore size of 20–100 μm | GelMA/Mg/Zn hydrogels can promote wound reepithelialization and angiogenesis and promote wound healing | Li et al. (2022) | |
| G-S hydrogel | GelMA, Silk fibroin | G-S hydrogels had a porous structure with average pore sizes of 226.54 ± 41.86 μm | GelSilMA (G-S) hydrogels can help accelerate wound closure by improving the microenvironment, promoting epidermal tissue regeneration and endogenous collagen production |
Gelatin-based biomaterials for chronic wound repair.
SCHEME 1
2 The wound healing process
Wound healing is a complex process that involves interactions between different cell types, cytokines, antioxidants, and ECMs (Scheme 2) (Krizanova et al., 2022). The initial step of wound healing is arteriole contraction, which reduces local blood flow (). Platelets release serotonin and prostaglandins, further promoting vasoconstriction and blood stagnation. Platelets are adsorbed by collagen fibers and aggregate into blood clots, forming thrombocytosis and initiating clotting (Wang et al., 2018a). Subsequently, there is an increase in vascular permeability, which mediates the migration of inflammatory cells to the site of injury by releasing inflammatory factors; thus, wound healing enters the inflammatory phase. Neutrophils are the first inflammatory cells to appear around the wound (). Inflammatory cells release inflammatory factors while engulfing necrotic material around the wound, causing the wound to swell, redness, warmth, and pain (Yusuf Aliyu and Adeleke, 2023). The inflammatory response is designed to build an immune barrier against bacteria entering the wound (Strodtbeck, 2001). With the dilation of blood vessels during the inflammatory phase, nutrients, antibodies, and growth factors enter the wound’s surroundings. With the proliferation of newly formed blood vessels and fibroblasts, wound healing enters a proliferative phase (Zhu et al., 2023). The proliferative phase is usually inseparable from the inflammatory phase, mainly the organic inflammation stage (Ridiandries et al., 2018). Epithelial regeneration, neovascularization, and granulation tissue formation are prerequisites for skin barrier rebuilding (Su et al., 2021). Signaling between fibroblasts and the microenvironment leads to ECM deposition to fill wounds (Patel et al., 2019). The remodeling phase is the final crucial step in wound healing, in which the ECM matures into scars and gains tensile strength (Sheir et al., 2022). During this phase, collagen fibers are degraded and reordered, capillaries are reduced and converged into large vessels, and granulation tissue organizes into scar tissue ().
SCHEME 2
3 Properties of gelatin
Gelatin is obtained through the acid, alkali, or hot water hydrolysis of natural collagen, and its main structure is similar to collagen (Tan et al., 2018). The conversion of collagen into gelatin produces molecules with varying molecular weights so that gelatin can be hydrolyzed into amino acids and peptides by most proteolytic enzymes (Mikhailov, 2023). In the process of collagen hydrolysis to form gelatin, a large number of functional groups will be leaked. These functional groups bind to crosslinkers or targeted ligands to impart different properties to gelatin (Wang et al., 2012). For this reason, gelatin is biodegradable and biocompatible (Lukin et al., 2022). Because of gelatin’s 1:1:1 ratio of anionic, cationic, and hydrophobic groups, its rheological properties and thermal stability are almost constant between pH 5 and 9 (Milano et al., 2023). Approximately 13% of gelatin’s polypeptide chain consists of positively charged amino acid residues, 12% negatively charged amino acid residues, and 11% hydrophobic residues (). Because of these residues, gelatin often exhibits amphoteric behavior, demonstrating different physicochemical properties at different pH values (Stagnoli et al., 2023). The amphoteric behavior characteristics of gelatin have been developed to deliver various drugs to treat cancer (). Another characteristic of gelatin is viscosity, which increases with polymer concentration and decreases with temperature and pH (Milano et al., 2023). Gelatin is also a heat-sensitive material, often used as a sol-gel transition material (). Gelatin-based temperature-responsive drug delivery vehicles have been developed as an adjunct to cancer treatment (Nardecchia et al., 2019). Gelatin is water-soluble because of several hydrophilic groups on the surface to form many hydrogen bonds (Mikhailov, 2023; Yildirim et al., 2023). It is more widely used than other biological materials because of its diverse source composition and low immunogenicity (Yang et al., 2022). Medical hemostatic gelatin—purified gelatin extracted first from animal skin in 1945—possesses a porous structure capable of absorbing 45 times heavier than its own weight; its porous structure absorbs blood and expands, destroys platelets, promotes the formation of blood clots, and seals the blood vessel crack or wound by forming a coagulation grid to achieve hemostasis (). With the development of nanomedicine, gelatin is crucial in anti-cancer drug delivery, wound dressings, food safety, bone regeneration, and tissue engineering (; ; Tan et al., 2023).
ECM serves as a dynamic environment for cell survival and is crucial in cell growth, mechanical support, and nutrient supply (; Mohindra et al., 2022). Besides supporting parenchymal cells, ECM is vital in cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration. Structural and functional changes in the skin ECM often lead to severe skin diseases, most commonly skin fibrosis (Wang et al., 2023). ECM comprises collagen, glycosaminoglycans, elastin, heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, and water (Malta et al., 2022). As previously described, gelatin is a breakdown product of natural collagen (Tan et al., 2018). Gelatin compensates for tissue breakage around the wound and provides a natural substrate for ECM. Therefore, gelatin is an ideal material to promote skin healing.
4 Gelatin-based biomaterials promote wound healing
4.1 Hemostasis
Bleeding is a direct manifestation of skin damage, and uncontrolled bleeding is the leading cause of trauma death (). Timely and effective hemostasis is a prerequisite for wound healing. Gelatin has adhesive properties that facilitate facilitate wound healing. Conventional dressing applications are severely limited by uncontrolled gel times and low mechanical properties (Tu et al., 2019). Liang et al., 2022 developed a gel adhesive with gelatin, sodium alginate (SA), and protocatechualdehyde. The adhesion properties are brought by the strong interaction between the amino and carboxyl groups of gelatin and SA (Tarakhovskaya, 2014). The gel adhesive had an energy storage modulus of 2400 Pa, making it a self-healing material because of the Schiff base reaction between the aldehyde/quinone and amino groups and the strong hydrogen bond between gelatin and SA. In vivo experiments in a mouse hepatocellular carcinoma hemorrhage model, the gel binder had less bleeding and shorter hemostasis than the control group. In an experiment on skin wound healing in mice, the gel binder promoted complete wound healing at 21 days.
For wound hemostasis, adsorption is a crucial property of hemostatic materials (Yang et al., 2017). When the adsorption rate is low or slow, it is difficult to achieve rapid hemostasis of the wound (Zhang et al., 2018a). To enhance the adsorption of gelatin, Wang et al. mixed chitosan with gelatin and crosslinked with proanthocyanidins (PC) to make chitosan/gelatin sponge (PCGS) (Sun et al., 2023). PC—a naturally occurring polyphenol—is widely used in biomedicine because of its high antioxidant and antibacterial properties (Wang et al., 2019). PC addition to PCGS enlarge its porous morphology, thereby increasing its adsorption. PCGS had a lower hemolysis rate than chitosan because PC reduces the cation level on the surface of chitosan in PCGS, thereby reducing the interference with coagulation factors. An in vivo experiment confirmed that a PCGS group effectively reduced bleeding and promoted wound healing on day 14. Tannins (TA) are natural plant polyphenolic compounds that bind to proteins through hydrophobic action and hydrogen bonding, thereby exhibiting strong adhesion, antioxidant, antibacterial, and procoagulant properties (Ninan et al., 2016). Zhou et al. crosslinked TA-modified gelatin with glutaminyltransferase (TG) to produce crosslinked hydrogels (Figure 1) (Zhou et al., 2021). TG addition can enhance the covalent binding with amino acids in gelatin and increase the stability of the cross-linked hydrogels. The cross-linked hydrogels had a slight swelling ratio (556.8%), but they did not cause compression to surrounding tissues. The solubility of the cross-linked hydrogels was 78.8%, providing growth space for cell proliferation. The cross-linked hydrogels can continuously release TA around the wound, which can cause platelet aggregation and activation of coagulation factors. In a rat tail vein hemostasis model, the mean hemostasis time of the cross-linked hydrogels (241 ± 52.7 s) was lower than a control group (323.48 ± 82 s). Dopamine (DA) has a hydrophore and amine group and can form hydrogen bonds with substrates to induce adsorption (). DA/gelatin can enhance the adsorption of gelatin-based hydrogels, thereby enhancing their water absorption, which is conducive to wound hemostasis. Luo et al., 2022 DA/gelatin and hyaluronic acid (HA) to produce hemostatic hydrogels. HA is a natural mucopolysaccharide, but its weak mechanical properties and rapid degradation characteristics limit its clinical application (). Compared with gelatin hydrogels, hemostatic hydrogels have higher mechanical strength and can maintain their shape for 7 days in water. Hemostatic hydrogels have a highly cross-linked nano-microporous structure to provide a cross-linked microenvironment. Hemostatic hydrogels have good biocompatibility and is beneficial to cell adhesion and proliferation. The adhesion strength of the hemostatic hydrogels was 137 ± 16 kPa. In an internal bleeding model, the hemostatic hydrogels achieved rapid hemostasis within 135 s.
FIGURE 1
lyophilized gelatin soaked in a solution of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to construct a degradable GT/Ag freeze gel, which had a compressive strength of 7 kPa. GT/Ag gels have good mechanical properties and can stably release Ag ions to achieve their antibacterial effect. GT/Ag gels have a large swelling rate of more than 4,000% and can adsorb a large amount of exudate around the wound. AgNPs have a particle size of 10–20 nm, which can enhance the porosity of GT/Ag gels in gelatin, enhance the gas exchange ability around the wound, and promote wound healing. In mouse models of hepatic hemorrhage, the rapid blood absorption and local hemoconcentration of GT/Ag gels promoted platelet and blood cell aggregation. Furthermore, AgNPs can promote the antibacterial effect around the wound and accelerate wound healing. ε-Poly-l-lysine (EPL) has a rapid hemostatic effect by electrostatically adsorbing red blood cells and activating platelet aggregation (Tang et al., 2020). However, the poor biocompatibility of EPL limits its clinical application (Li et al., 2017). Zhang et al. crosslinked oxidized dextran (ODex) with EPL and gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) via the Schiff base reaction and further crosslinked GelMA using UV irradiation to prepare double-network (DN) hydrogels (Zhang et al., 2022). The porosity and swelling rate of the DN hydrogels were above 70% and 400%, respectively, and the DN hydrogels promoted cell proliferation and migration and the absorption of wound exudate. The DN hydrogels had extremely high tensile strength (16.9 ± 0.44 kPa) and good elastic retraction. In a rat hepatic hemorrhage model, the DN hydrogels stopped bleeding in situ at 38.3 ± 4.1 s. Subsequently, under UV irradiation, the DN hydrogels underwent rapid gelation combined with an adhesion effect, producing a good sealing effect at the bleeding site and achieving hemostasis.
4.2 Antibacterial properties
Multidrug-resistant bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli) proliferate rapidly at the wound site and secrete many extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) to form biofilms to effectively prevent antibiotic penetration and resist host immunity, exacerbating wound infection and non-healing (Liang et al., 2019). The antimicrobial ability of gelatin alone is weak, and its mechanical properties are poor; therefore, there is an urgent need for improved gelatin-based biomaterials to improve the antimicrobial properties around the wound (Ndlovu et al., 2021). Tetracycline hydrochloride (TH) is a spectrum antibiotic commonly used in clinical practice, exhibiting a strong bacteriostatic effect on various bacteria (). Curcumin (Cur) promotes cell proliferation, migration, and collagen deposition and can also reduce ROS (reactive oxygen species) around the wound to achieve anti-inflammatory effects (Rezaii et al., 2019). However, Cur often limits its clinical use because of its low bioavailability (Wibowo et al., 2020). Xia. et al., 2022c loaded Cur into a polycaprolactone (PCL) core and TH into a gelatin shell to prepare a PCL-Cur/GEL-TH core-shell nanofiber membrane. Compensating for PCL’s slow degradation, gelatin addition could increase the biodegradability and biocompatibility of the PCL-Cur/GEL-TH core-shell nanofiber membrane. The shell structure of the PCL-Cur/GEL-TH membrane releases TA for antibacterial action, and Cur released in the inner core has an anti-inflammatory effect. The PCL-Cur/GEL-TH membrane has good biocompatibility and does not affect surrounding normal cells. The PCL-Cur/GEL-TH membrane had a diameter of 178 ± 25 nm, tensile strength of 6.43 ± 0.14 MPa, and Young’s modulus of 12.77 ± 0.02 Mpa. It released 29.87% and 88.79% of Cur and TH, respectively, within the first 2 h to meet the early antibacterial requirements around the wound.
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have rapidly developed in the biomedical field with large specific surface areas and high porosity (Wang et al., 2018b). As a commonly used metal ion in MOFs, zinc ions can promote cell growth, differentiation, hair follicle growth, and nerve regeneration (). Zinc ions can also promote macrophage polarization to achieve antibacterial effects (Porfire et al., 2014). Huang et al. used Cur-containing MOFs to load vancomycin (Van) and coated the skeleton with quaternary ammonium salt chitosan (QCS) to produce QCSMOF-Van (Figure 2) (). Methacrylic anhydride-modified gelatin can be achieved by trapping bacteria with a positive charge on the surface of the QCS, resulting in the antimicrobial effect of TI’gao QCSMOF-Van. QCSMOF-Van has good biocompatibility and degradability. The QCS on the surface of QCSMOF-Van contains a positive charge, which can catch bacteria with a negative charge, and under the combined action of zinc ions and Aan, QCSMOF-Van can achieve excellent antibacterial properties. Furthermore, QCSMOF-Van had high adhesion strength (34.146 ± 5.032 kPa) and compressive strength (74.667 ± 9.504 kPa). An in vitro experiment confirmed that QCSMOF-Van killed S. aureus (antibacterial rate, 99.953% ± 0.080%) and E. coli (antibacterial rate, 98.676% ± 0.654%) within 24 h. An in vivo experiment to promote wound healing confirmed that QCSMOF-Van promoted complete wound healing within 21 days. Zhang et al. used an iron-containing metal-organic framework (Fe-MOF) to release Gox (glucose oxidase) in a controlled manner by coupling Gox through amide bonding and using PCL, gelatin, and d-glucose (PGD) fiber networks to produce G@Fe/PGD fiber membranes (Zhang et al., 2023). The GOx released by the G@Fe/PGD fiber membranes oxidizes glucose to gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide, which can decompose hydrogen peroxide and produce radical dot-OH amount under the action of Fe-MOF, thereby improving the antibacterial effect of the G@Fe/PGD fiber membranes. Gelatin addition can increase the biodegradability of G@Fe/PGD fiber membranes. In a rat model of infected wounds, G@Fe/PGD fiber membranes achieved complete wound healing within 14 days. Huang et al. developed injectable adhesive hydrogels using polyoxometalates (AgPOM), urea, gelatin, and tea polyphenols (TPs) (). Urea is used as a regulator to control the cross-linking of gelatin and TPs and can penetrate into tissues to form strong adhesion and prevent bacterial invasion. An in vitro experiment demonstrated that the release of AgPOM from adhesive hydrogels killed 90% of bacteria and effectively promoted wound healing within 14 days.
FIGURE 2
Fucoidan (Fuc) has good biocompatibility and exhibits good antibacterial, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory functions because of its rich sulfuric acid group (
4.3 Anti-inflammatory properties
Cell proliferation around the wound produces higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lower pH (
Bioactive glass (BG) is a biomaterial with biological activity (Zhang et al., 2018b). As a type of BG, 45S5 releases Ca, Si, and P ions to promote wound healing (Yu et al., 2016). Tomar et al. developed multifunctional composite hydrogels using gelatin, chitosan, diclofenac-loaded BG, PDA-coated BG, and Cur-AgNPs (Tomar et al., 2023). Gelatin, chitosan, and PDA coatings form stable and porous scaffolds that form the basis for BG attachment. The BG hydrogels had a size of 300–400 nm and a charge of −27.4 mV, with a strong specific surface area and drug loading efficiency. The BG hydrogels continuously released 76% diclofenac sodium within 168 h, thereby achieving anti-inflammatory effects on wounds. Moreover, the multifunctional complex hydrogels released 58% of Cur-AgNPs in the body for 58 h to achieve the antibacterial effect. The multifunctional complex hydrogels have good biocompatibility, promote cell proliferation around the wound, and do not cause adverse reactions to the wound. In mice, the multifunctional complex hydrogels reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and the expression of inflammatory factors. Compared with a gelatin-alone group, the multifunctional complex hydrogels had the advantages of inducing angiogenesis, regulating inflammation, eliminating microorganisms, and relieving pain. Ren et al. grafted phenylboronic acid (BA-HA) with polyvinyl acetate (PVA) and HA to form PH/GMs@bFGF&PDA by encapsulating PDA and gelatin microspheres containing basic fibroblast growth factor (GMs@bFGF) (Ren et al., 2023). Gelatin addition provides the PH/GMs@bFGF&PDA a strong adhesion (101.46 ± 10.88 kPa), which keeps the hydrogels adhering to the wound. The PH/GMs@bFGF&PDA complex formed a porous gel structure with a pore size of 5–30 μm within 120 ± 7 s of injection around the wound. The long-empty structure of the PH/GMs@bFGF&PDA complex provides attachment points for PDAs and bFGF. The PH/GMs@bFGF&PDA complex continuously releases bFGF in the body, and the release rate of bFGF reached 67.5% ± 21.7% within 69 days and reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells within 21 days. Moreover, the release of bFGF increases collagen production and deposition, promotes angiogenesis, and accelerates wound healing.
4.4 Promotion of vascular regeneration
Neoangiogenesis is crucial from the initial wound healing to the wound remodeling phase (Wilkinson and Hardman, 2020). New blood vessels provide oxygen for the organic granulation tissue around the wound. Hypoxia causes sustained activation of peri-wound hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF1), which promotes angiogenic factor (VEGF) (
Borate bioactive glass (BBG) promotes angiogenesis and promotes wound healing (
Liu et al., 2023b developed multifunctional bilayer microneedles (DMN@TH/rh-EGF) using gelatin carboxymethyl chitosan (Gel-CMC) loaded with TH and recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rh-EGF). rh-EGF promotes angiogenesis, collagen deposition, and tissue regeneration (
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) can promote wound angiogenesis and improve wound healing environment (
4.5 Promotion of epidermal regeneration
Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) have anti-inflammatory and vascular regeneration effects (Liu et al., 2011). Wen et al. made nanofiber membranes (GEL/APS NFM) using electrospinning technology with gelatin and APS for wound healing (Wen et al., 2023). Gelation addition gives the nanofiber membrane satisfactory stretchability and ideal wound healing efficiency. NFM has a similar structure to ECM and has strong tensile strength, which is widely used in wound dressings. The average diameter of GEL/APS NFM was 773 nm, and its elongation reached 514.6% as the hydrogen bond formed between gelatin and APS increased the tensile resistance of GEL/APS NFM. GEL/APS NFM had good biocompatibility, and the cell viability was more than 90% with cell culture for 72 h. Compared with a blank control group, GEL/APS NFM in vivo for 15 days increased the expression of VEGF and promoted vascular epithelial regeneration. Moreover, GEL/APS NFM promotes collagen deposition and epidermal regeneration. Li et al., 2022 used GelMA to mount umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) to make gelatin microspheres. The UC-MSCs released by gelatin microspheres can promote the release of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), fibroblast adhesion, proliferation, ECM remodeling, and collagen deposition.
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is crucial in skin metabolism, and the lack of EGF around the wound can lead to wound non-healing (
5 Clinical application of gelatin materials to promote wound healing
Absorbable gelatin hemostatic sponges are currently used in clinical settings (
Despite being from different production companies, the effectiveness of gelatin hemostatic sponges has been recognized by clinicians. Combined application of gelatin materials has a stronger hemostatic effect than gelatin alone (
6 Conclusion and outlook
Gelatin-based wound healing dressings are evolving rapidly because of their biocompatibility and clear advantages in delivery. The delivery efficiency of gelatin carriers is highly influenced by gelatin type, concentration, and formulation conditions. Preclinical studies have widely demonstrated that gelatin serves as a drug delivery carrier while maintaining its original activity. Gelatin-based electrospinning fibers, hydrogels, sponges, stents, films, and other technologies make it highly absorbent and highly drug-release efficient around the wound. Gelatin has advantages in promoting hemostasis, anti-infection, anti-inflammatory properties, vascular regeneration, and epithelial tissue regeneration. It has made great progress in promoting chronic wound healing. However, wound healing is a chronic and changing complex environment primarily associated with appropriate compression, exudative management, pressure, and tension to control chronic wounds. Although gelatin-based biomaterials can solve some difficulties, they are substantial challenges. There has been considerable interest in using 3D printing technology to prepare gelatin scaffolds to promote wound healing. 3D-printed gelatin can provide good mechanical and compressive strength around the wound and deliver biological factors (VEGF and bFGF) to promote chronic wound healing. Medical gelatin hemostatic materials have been applied in clinical treatment because they are irreplaceable in hemostasis. There are many reports on gelatin hemostatic materials produced by listed companies. It was only in 1984 that the US FDA approved the first commercial fibrin glue (Tisseel). However, there have not been many reports on the anti-inflammatory properties of gelatin, promoting angiogenesis. However, the use of gelatin for wound treatment remains at an early stage, and large-scale clinical trials to verify its effectiveness are lacking. However, although the hemostatic effect of synthetic gelatin hemostatic materials has been proven, the complex processing process also increases its selling price. Future studies should focus on improving the efficiency of gelatin-based biomaterials for wound healing. We believe that the widespread application of gelatin-based biomaterials is just around the corner.
Statements
Author contributions
HC: Writing–original draft, Software, Methodology, Data curation. JW: Writing–review and editing, Validation, Formal Analysis, Conceptualization. ZH: Writing–review and editing, Project administration, Formal Analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization. DZ: Writing–review and editing, Writing–original draft, Resources, Project administration, Funding acquisition, Conceptualization.
Funding
The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Acknowledgments
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Summary
Keywords
biomaterials, gelatin, wound repair, hemostasis, antibacterial, antiinflammatory
Citation
Cao H, Wang J, Hao Z and Zhao D (2024) Gelatin-based biomaterials and gelatin as an additive for chronic wound repair. Front. Pharmacol. 15:1398939. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1398939
Received
11 March 2024
Accepted
15 April 2024
Published
01 May 2024
Volume
15 - 2024
Edited by
Katarzyna Barbara Gawel-Beben, University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszow, Poland
Reviewed by
Bruno Santos, London Metropolitan University, United Kingdom
Diego Velasco, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid de Madrid, Spain
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Copyright
© 2024 Cao, Wang, Hao and Zhao.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Zhanying Hao, 1500528388@qq.com; Danyang Zhao, 20201074@cmu.edu.cn
† These authors have contributed equally to this work
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