Hydrogel adhesives for generalized wound treatment: Design and applications

Wound refers to the place where human body is injured and ruptured. So, wounds in a broad sense include not only skin wounds, but also damages of muscle, corneal, heart, and lung, etc. As “gold standard” of wound closure, suture and staple cause secondary damage to the tissue, and require professional skills and equipment, so noninvasive hydrogel adhesives have been developed as an alternative to close and treat different kinds of wounds. However, the existing reviews mainly discussed the research of hydrogel adhesives for skin wounds, and the focus is mostly on its types and adhesion mechanisms, but a review comprehensively discusses the design and application of hydrogel adhesives on generalized wounds for wound closure and wound healing and the unique needs of various wounds for hydrogel adhesives is still lacking. In this review, the types and adhesion mechanisms of hydrogel adhesives will be briefly described, then the research progress of hydrogel adhesives in wound treatment is reviewed in detail from two aspects: the comprehensive design principles and the unique requirements of different types of wounds. Overall, we expect that this review will provide guidance for the development of hydrogel adhesives as new avenues for generalized wound care and treatment.