Mechanoactive wound dressing using poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) based hydrogels

Wound dressings are used to promote wound healing, but by using traditional dressings, scars are easily left at the site of the wound. Inspired by the recovery of scarring in embryonic wounds, various mechanoactive wound dressings have attracted the attention of scientists. Among them, Poly (N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) based hydrogels are more suitable for humans since their phase transition temperature is close to the surface temperature of the human body. It makes it easy to produce mechanical forces by giving external stimuli. In addition, PNIPAM-based hydrogels have excellent mechanical properties and strong adhesive strength for use in mechanical wound dressings. Numerous types of mechanoactive wound dressings made from PNIPAM-based hydrogels have emerged in the last decade, including biomechanically active wound dressings, peelable mechanical wound dressings, and double-layer mechanical wound dressings. Therefore, in this work, a summary of mechanoactive wound dressings made by PNIPAM-based hydrogels is presented to provide researchers with a clear understanding of these emerging mechanoactive wound dressings.