Chinese scientists have designed a new biodegradable and bioactive material that can enhance wound-healing and skin regeneration.

It is difficult for skin wounds to completely heal in cases of large-area burns, severe microbial infections and diabetes. Chronic wounds greatly increase the pain and medical costs of patients. There is therefore a great need for biomedical materials that can facilitate wound-healing and efficient anti-infection capacities.

Researchers with Xi'an Jiaotong University in northwest China's Shaanxi Province have designed a kind of biomimetic antibacterial material that can facilitate skin regeneration.

It has skin-like elasticity and good biocompatibility, and can help prevent multidrug-resistant bacterial infection. In experiments conducted on mice, the material enhanced the wound-healing and regeneration of skin appendages such as hair follicles, and finally lead to skin tissue regeneration.

The designed biomaterial could become a competitive multifunctional dressing for bacteria-infected wound-healing and skin regeneration. The research provides a new strategy for the design of biomedical materials for regenerative medicines.

The study was published in the journal ACS Nano.