Advance in topical biomaterials and mechanisms for the intervention of pressure injury

Pressure injuries (PIs) are localized tissue damage resulting from prolonged compression or shear forces on the skin or underlying tissue, or both. Different stages of PIs share common features include intense oxidative stress, abnormal inflammatory response, cell death, and subdued tissue remodeling. Despite various clinical interventions, stage 1 or stage 2 PIs are hard to monitor for the changes of skin or identify from other disease, whereas stage 3 or stage 4 PIs are challenging to heal, painful, expensive to manage, and have a negative impact on quality of life. Here, we review the underlying pathogenesis and the current advances of biochemicals in PIs. We first discuss the crucial events involved in the pathogenesis of PIs and key biochemical pathways lead to wound delay. Then, we examine the recent progress of biomaterials-assisted wound prevention and healing and their prospects.

Automated summary

Pressure injuries (PIs) are localized tissue damage caused by prolonged compression or shear forces. Different stages of PIs exhibit similar characteristics, including oxidative stress, abnormal inflammatory response, cell death, and impaired tissue remodeling. Monitoring early-stage PIs is challenging, while healing late-stage PIs is difficult and has a negative impact on quality of life. This review discusses the underlying pathogenesis of PIs, key biochemical pathways leading to delayed wound healing, and recent advances in biomaterial-assisted prevention and healing.