Reconfiguring the endogenous electric field of a wound through a conductive hydrogel for effective exudate management to enhance skin wound healing†

The ionic environment has a strong influence on the bioelectricity of skin, which is also present in the wound healing process. Inspired by this, we proposed a mechanism for hydrogel-based dressings to respond to endogenous electric fields through exudate absorption and conducted a verification study using a typical hydrogel, namely, polyacrylamide and sodium alginate (PAM–SA) hydrogels, as an example. Theoretical calculations showed that the PAM–SA hydrogels could absorb and orient the various electrolytes of exudate in the hydrogel at the wound site, contributing to the reconstruction of the electric field at the wound site. During the treatment process, this effect significantly accelerated the healing process of the rat epidermis, which exceeded the conventional dressing in terms of healing speed and efficacy, and the wounds on the complete layer of rat skin (wound area: 1.13 cm²) could be rapidly repaired within 10 days. Revealing the electrophysiological behavior of PAM–SA dressings during wound healing can help further improve the design model, the optimization concept, and development paths for the bioelectrical structures of modern dressings and bioelectrical stimulation in wound healing.