Design the molecule structures to achieve functional advantages of hydrogel wound dressings: Advances and strategies

The wound healing and management are widely concerned in global military and civil settings, which lays a huge public medical burden on the medical systems of every states. Owing to provide steady barrier and positive microenvironment, wound dressing is considered to be the most attractive strategy to promote wound healing. Compared with general wound dressing including semipermeable foams or membranes, powders and hydrocolloids, the hydrogel wound dressings possess unique 3D cross-linked hydrophilic network with high water retention, which can create a moist and breathable microenvironment to profoundly facilitate the process of wound healing. However, a comprehensive review of hydrogel wound dressings based on the structures of polymer chains still has not been reported. In this review, we first introduced the physiology process of wound healing. Then, we summarized the various hydrogel wound dressings and emphasized the corresponding design strategies of them. Finally, we also proposed the current challenges and the future directions accordingly.