ELECTROSPUN NANOFIBROUS WOUND DRESSINGS: A REVIEW ON CHITOSAN COMPOSITE NANOFIBERS AS POTENTIAL WOUND DRESSINGS

Abstract

Advancements in topical wound dressings led to the development of products to protect the wound and facilitate addressing special issues in healing and non-healing wounds. Rapidly growing interest in nanofiber research is leading to the development of potential candidates for wound dressing applications. Electrospinning nanofibers have been considered one of the effective materials in the development of scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. Nanofibers mimic the extracellular matrix with their structural similarities, high surface area, and porosity, thereby enabling the effective delivery of antimicrobial agents in the wound milieu. Chitosan, an excellent biopolymer, is offering versatile applications as electrospun nanofibers due to the presence of its inherent properties like nontoxicity, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and antimicrobial nature, as well as its efficiency towards re‐epithelialization and regeneration of the granular layer of the wounds. The current review discusses the design and strategies used in the development of electrospun chitosan nanofibers, as well as the limitations of these strategies. This article provides the most recent information on the fabrication of chitosan composite nanofibrous materials and their applications for wound healing.