Chinese researchers devise more effective wound dressing

BEIJING, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers developed a programmable and skin-temperature-triggered dressing that makes wounds heal much quicker than traditional bandages, said a study published Thursday in the journal Science Advances.

Scientists from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China devised a sandwich-structured wound dressing composed of deformable material, an antibacterial film, and two encapsulation layers that help seamlessly fit the irregular skin surface.

It is subjected to large deformation, such as being twisted multiple turns. It can restore its initial state under the skin's temperature, thanks to its deformable material based on a shape memory alloy (SMA).

The SMA, an alloy that can be deformed but will return to its original shape when heated, works to increase the dressing's contraction force on either linear or circular skin wounds.

The researchers also designed an antibacterial film to enhance the body's electric field. The increased electric field can facilitate relevant cell migration, proliferation, and differentiation to promote wound healing metabolism.

The researchers demonstrated on rats that the dressing ensured effective wound healing in as short as four and eight days for linear and circular wounds, respectively.

It is over 50 percent quicker than the results in a control group in wound closure, said the study.

Yao Guang, the paper's first author, said the new design is a successful example of temperature-responsive and battery-free intervention for biomedical applications. Yao added it offers a promising healing strategy for irregular wounds.