Bioactive Glasses: Advancing Skin Tissue Repair through Multifunctional Mechanisms and Innovations

Abstract

As a complex and dynamically regulated process, wound healing is collaboratively carried out by multiple types of cells. However, the precise mechanisms by which these cells contribute to immune regulation are not yet fully understood. Although research on bone regeneration has been quite extensive, the application of bioactive glass (BG) in skin tissue repair remains still relatively underexplored. The review focuses on the principles and the latest progress of using BGs for skin tissue repair, highlighting BGs' special performance requirements, including biological activity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and antibacterial properties, emphasizing their potential for skin tissue repair. In addition, BGs play a substantial role in regulating various inflammatory cells (neutrophils, macrophages, mast cells, etc.) and tissue repair cells [fibroblasts, vascular endothelial cells, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), etc.] involved in wound healing. The review also covers recent developments in composite materials incorporating BGs, demonstrating their ability to promote angiogenesis, inhibit wound biofilms, and improve inflammatory responses in chronic wounds. Furthermore, BGs have shown effectiveness in promoting epithelial regeneration and collagen deposition in burn wounds as well as their applications in scar management and post-tumor resection wound care. Finally, we summarize our views on challenges and directions in the emerging field of BGs for skin tissue regeneration research in the future.