Academic Research

Biomaterials are constructed to promote or stimulate the processes of wound healing. Polymeric biomaterials can be used to hydrate the wound and serve as a barrier to pathogens with plant extracts, antimicrobial agents, and extracellular components incorporated to stimulate the healing process. The biological and physical augmentation provided by extracellular matrix-derived implants continues to facilitate innovation in biomaterials utilized in the management of nonhealing wounds. Tissue-processing methodologies can birth extracellular matrix-based devices with characteristic post-implantation responses ranging from the classic foreign body encapsulation of a permanent implant, to one where the implant is degraded and resorbed, to one where the processed extracellular matrix implant is populated by local fibroblasts and supporting vasculature to produce, a viable and metabolically active tissue. Extracellular matrix components and plant extracts have been shown to possess pharmacological properties with the potential for use in the treatment of skin diseases and wound healing. Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory assays, and wound-healing assays have been shown to support the dermatological and wound-healing usage of these medicinal plant extracts.