Exploring cotton’s horizons in wound healing science and technology

Authors: Edwards, Judson - Vince; Prevost, Nicolette; Graves, Elena; Condon, Brian; YAGER, DORNE - Virginia Commonwealth University

Submitted to: Fiber Society Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/4/2019
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Cotton has been a staple fiber in wound care for centuries, and utilized today to address distinctly different stages of wound healing in acute and chronic pathologies. Improvements in cotton fiber dressing design have historically arisen from inter-disciplinary collaborations as occurred at SRRC during WW II from a textile chemists working with a surgeon to create the first stretch gauze product. Similarly, today the focus is to align dressing design with the current understanding of wound healing science and repair. Thus, considerations are made in the dressing design process of the most important properties appropriate for either the acute or inflammatory stages of wound healing. Both bleached and unbleached cotton fibers have proven beneficial in designing fiber and fabric modifications using traditional finishing and nonwoven processes. Dressings designed for acute wound bleeding control or hemorrhage confer hemostatic activity to initiate fibrin formation and halt blood flow. The ‘moist wound heal faster’ concept was discovered in the 60s, and eventually became the treatment paradigm for chronic wounds. However, chronic wounds which are a major health concern, are arrested in the inflammatory stage of healing, and innovative dressing functionality that jump starts the wound healing process is still needed. Structure/function studies on modified cotton fibers to control wound protease levels in chronic wounds have led to clinical dressing designs. Cotton fibers that modulate hydrogen peroxide generation to facilitate cell proliferation or antibacterial activity are also of interest. The so-called ‘intelligent dressing’ combines these types of functional properties with the ability to detect biomarkers of wound pathophysiology. Accordingly, wound healing science and technology are being employed with the goal of developing dressings interfaced with biosensors for point of care (POC) treatment.