Healing the wound with nanomedicine: The therapeutic potential of liposomes and nanofibers

Wound management remains a significant clinical challenge, particularly in the treatment of chronic and infected lesions where currently available dressings and medications often fail to provide rapid and complete healing. Nanomedicine has the potential to improve wound management efficacy by enabling controlled drug release and providing peculiar biomechanical cues, supporting the different stages of natural healing. This review focuses on the potential of two prominent nanotechnological platforms—liposomes and nanofibers—in accelerating the complex process of wound regeneration. Liposomes, an established and versatile technology, excel for their ability in controlling the release of hydrophilic and lipophilic molecules, promoting membranes and biofilm permeation, and protecting unstable compounds from degradation within the hostile wound environment. On the other hand, electrospun nanofibers have peculiar 3D architectures that support cell proliferation and manage wound exudate levels, while also being able to load and release drugs and biomacromolecules in a controlled fashion. In this work, the recent research on the development of liposomes and nanofibers for wound healing is critically discussed, highlighting the most relevant preclinical results and seminal papers on novel technologies. Regulatory challenges and barriers to translation of such nanosystems are also addressed, providing a balanced outlook on their clinical implementation.