Novel PLCL Nanofibrous/Keratin Hydrogel Bilayer Wound Dressing for Skin Wound Repair

The study successfully developed a novel bionic PLCL/keratin-FGF-2 bilayer wound dressing for skin wound repair. The keratin hydrogel, part of the dressing, had a porous network and uniform pore size that provided sufficient space for cell growth, promoting cell proliferation and migration. It also had excellent swelling properties, with a maximum water absorption of up to 874.09%, enabling it to quickly absorb wound exudate and create an environment suitable for wound healing. The researchers also developed a new low-pressure filtration-assisted method for the preparation of the bilayer dressing to enhance the interface bonding between the hydrogels and the nanofibers. The dressing's biocompatibility was tested through cytotoxicity, hemolytic, and coagulation tests. In vitro degradation experiments were conducted to explore the degradation of the bilayer dressing. The wound healing effect of the bilayer scaffold was demonstrated by implanting it into full-thickness excisional wounds and evaluating its wound healing quality, re-epithelization, skin appendages (hair follicles) regeneration, collagen deposition, microangiogenesis, and ADSCs recruitment.