Polysaccharide-Based Materials for the Development of Wound Healing Strategies

Wound healing is induced by a series of complex mechanisms that occur in phases that overlap. However, chronic wounds are difficult to treat and usually require long-term hospitalization, resulting in a high cost of treatment. Polysaccharides are biopolymers found in animals, bacteria, fungi, and plants. Some of the unique features of polysaccharides are excellent biocompatibility, affordability, readily availability, non-immunogenicity, and antimicrobial activity. They promote rapid granulation, vascularization, re-epithelialization, and wound healing with the formation of insignificant scars due to their rich content of glycosaminoglycan. They are either used for the design of the wound dressings or incorporated into wound dressings as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, or antioxidants. This chapter will report recent studies on the efficacy and limitations of polysaccharides in wound healing obtained from different sources, including animals and plants.