Carbohydrate polymers as wound management aids

Wound management aids have, in recent years, seen a transition from being simple natural coverings which give a wound protection from the external environment during the formation of the scab to specialized high technology materials which are produced from both synthetic and natural polymers. Much of the development has resulted from a greater understanding of the processes involved in wound healing coupled with advances in technology to produce biocompatible materials with the necessary physical and chemical characteristics for enhancement of the healing process. Polysaccharides, being naturally occurring biomolecules, were an obvious choice for investigation as potential wound management aids. In recent years it was recognised that not only can polysaccharides be produced with the required physical characteristics for a wound management product but that the actual polysaccharide or polysaccharide derivative may itself actively participate in the process of wound healing. This paper sets out to review the various types of polysaccharides which were used as wound management aids, the physical forms in which they are used and also the biological properties of polysaccharides which enable them to participate actively in the wound healing process. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.