A Comprehensive Review on Natural Therapeutics for Wound Treatment

Purpose Wound healing is a biological process that plays an important role in tissue recovery and reconstruction of damaged tissues. Although there are several advances in the area of wound healing, chronic wounds still continue as one of the major threats in individuals suffering from long term injuries. At present, natural components that are derived from natural resources have been studied for their efficacy in treating chronic wounds. They have been reported to have unique properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and low immunogenicity making them suitable candidates for wound treatment. Methods The review investigated the use of natural products as wound dressing materials for treating acute and chronic wounds. Results An ideal wound dressing material should promote quick wound recovery and attempt to restore day-to-day activities of individual's suffering from chronic wounds. Recently, biomaterials are being widely used for medical purposes because of their biodegradable and non-toxic features. They have shown great promise in treating different types of wounds and for achieving efficient tissue repair. Conclusion Natural biomaterials derived from natural resources are well-researched and reviewed for their effectiveness in treating chronic wounds and to understand how they could speed up the healing process. The study of natural biomaterials used as wound dressings has drawn particular interest due to their propensity to stimulate the growth of new tissues. A variety of naturally-occurring polymers, including gelatin, alginate, silk, chitosan, elastin, pectin, and fibrin, have a major role in expediting the healing of wounds. Lay Summary Wound is an injury that results from the damage caused by an external or internal rupture in the human tissues or organs. Wound dressing materials that are prepared using natural resources are beneficial in treating acute and chronic wounds.