With the exception of a few experimental bandages, most bandages are generally just used to cover wounds, not actively heal them, according to media reports. However, this is not the case with the new advanced hydrocolloid bandages, which do away with antibiotics while mimicking embryonic skin.
During the development of animal embryos, the skin of the embryo heals without scarring. This is because the skin cells surrounding these wounds produce fibers made of a protein called actin. These fibers contract to heal the wound by pulling their edges together without creating scar tissue.
1. Advanced hydrocolloid bandages for wound care
The researchers set out to develop entirely new bandages by replicating this process. The resulting AAD is made from a binder alginate (algae-derived) hydrogel to which silver nanoparticles and a so-called thermoresponsive polymer have been added. Not only is the polymer hydrophobic, but it can also shrink at temperature.
Dimoras's advanced hydrocolloid bandages bond strongly to the skin when applied to wounds. In addition, body heat heats up, causing the gel to shrink. The adhering underlying skin contracts with it, allowing the wound to heal quickly and efficiently. At the same time, most of the bacteria that could cause infection were killed by silver nanoparticles.
By changing the amount in the gel, you can adjust how much it pulls the skin together. This control can come in handy because the skin on joints like the elbow needs to maintain greater stretch and flexibility as it heals, as opposed to flatter parts of the body. In laboratory tests, the researchers found that the AAD adhered to pigskin 10 times more strongly than a Band-Aid. It also reduced wound area in mice by about 45 percent, while untreated wounds in the control group showed little reduction over the same period. In addition, it healed wounds faster than other experimental healing hydrogels tested, and it did not produce an inflammatory or immune response.
2. Advanced hydrocolloid bandage helps injury repair
This hydrogel material has good compatibility with the skin surface, can be tightly bonded, and can also be attached to other materials such as glass, metal and ceramic surfaces. The advanced hydrocolloid bandage material also has excellent mechanical properties, and the good tensile properties enable the material to adapt to the bending of human joints without damaging the functional elements installed on the hydrogel.