Conductive polymers in smart wound healing: From bioelectric stimulation to regenerative therapies
Yanhua Jiang, Yongjian Zhou, Yu Tian, Noushin Nabavi, Milad Ashrafizadeh, João Conde, Zhe Li, Liang Guo
Abstract
Wound healing, particularly in particularly after surgical operations and especially cardiothoracic surgeries, presents a significant global healthcare burden due to prolonged recovery time, recurrent infections, and limited effectiveness of the conventional therapies. The recent advancements in biomaterials have positioned conductive polymers (CPs) as promising components in the design of next-generation wound care technologies. CPs, such as polypyrrole (PPy), polyaniline (PANI) and poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), possess unique electrical, chemical and biological properties, making them ideal for integration into multifunctional and responsive wound dressings. The present review focuses on the emerging role of CPs in wound healing, along with their incorporation into various delivery platforms including hydrogels, nanofibers, membranes, microneedle patches and 3D scaffolds. These materials provide a synergistic approach by enabling localized electrical stimulation, enhancing tissue regeneration, and producing antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In particular, it is discussed how CP-based systems can be engineered to respond dynamically to the wound microenvironment such as pH, temperature or enzymatic activity, for accelerating controlled drug release and real-time therapeutic intervention. It also highlights the integration of CPs with complementary technologies such as triboelectric nanogenerators, biosensors and photothermal agents, contributing to smarter, more personalized wound care solutions. Moreover, this review addresses the current challenges, including biocompatibility, degradation kinetics and scalability, with a summary of the directions for the future research to optimize clinical translation. Based on the recent findings across materials science, bioengineering and regenerative medicine, this review illustrates the transformative potential of CPs in advancing effective, non-invasive and patient-specific wound healing strategies.