Graphene Oxide: A Novel Approach to Wound Healing

In diabetic patients delayed wound healing and chronic wounds are major complications that have been a reason for serious concern. As reported in the literature, the underlying causes for such wounds are due to reduction of proliferation and migration of different cells like keratinocytes and fibroblasts. Therefore, there is a high demand to bring a wound dressing patch which could provide the advantages of ideal dressings with gaseous exchange, absorption of wound exudate along with release of incorporated therapeutic at sustained action which could support cell proliferation and migration. Such dressing environment ultimately can assist diabetic wound healing. Due to their excellent biocompatibility, effective cell penetration, high fluorescence and specific adsorption of nucleotides, graphene oxide (GO)-derivatives have been identified in a wide range of biomedical applications. The two main methods for producing GO-based wound dressings are solvent blending method and in-situ polymerization. Several in-vitro and in-vivo study reports indicated that application of graphene oxide and its reduced form could promote wound healing by the enhancement of migration and proliferation of keratinocytes. Simultaneously, GO has also shown its potential to induce angiogenic properties that have an active role in any inflammatory event.