A foam bandage made from biodegradable plastic could be used in the future to treat chronic wounds. Researchers led by Prarthana Patil from Vanderbilt University in the US presented the innovative wound foam in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The hydrophilic foam dressing is made from polythioketal urethane plastic and is slowly resorbed by the surrounding tissue when placed on a wound.
The scientists first tested their wound foam on pigs: compared to other synthetic dressing materials or those based on animal tissue, the wounds healed just as well or even better. In addition, the foam bandage intercepted harmful oxygen compounds from the wound area particularly well. These oxygen radicals are used by the body’s own immune cells to defend against infectious pathogens, but in larger quantities they disrupt wound healing.
Biological dressing materials often consist of animal supporting tissue. These bandages are already being used successfully in patients with diabetic foot syndrome. However, they are expensive and complex to manufacture. Biomaterials made of synthetic polyester, on the other hand, can be produced more cheaply and, if necessary, modified at the molecular level, resulting in substances that are particularly water-loving. If the absorbable wound foam works similarly well in humans, it could provide an effective treatment alternative to traditional dressings.
Chronic wounds affect up to 1.8 million people in Germany alone. Above all, pre-existing people with diabetes, severe obesity or vascular diseases are affected. The treatment of chronic wounds is long and complex. If it does not work or does not occur, there is a risk of blood poisoning, among other things.