Optimal
wound dressings should be capable of mechanical
wound protection and also facilitate the healing process via maintenance of suitable environmental conditions and the controlled delivery of bioactive molecules.
Hydrogels present suitable properties for
wound-dressing applications such as good biocompatibility, together with a high water content, the latter of which is important for the maintenance of a moist environment and ready removal from the
wound with a minimal level of associated
pain. However, their properties as drug delivery systems can be improved by the use of
cyclodextrins as cross-linking agents.
Cyclodextrins have been extensively used as "carriers" on food, textile, cosmetic and, most especially, in the pharmaceutical industry in view of their powerful complexation abilities and biocompatibilities, together with further desirable characteristics. The conjugation of
cyclodextrins with
hydrogels may allow the achievement of an optimal
wound-dressing material, because the
hydrogel component will maintain the moist environment required for the healing process, and the
cyclodextrin moiety has the ability to protect and modulate the release of bioactive molecules. Therefore, this review aims to gather information regarding
cyclodextrin-based
hydrogels for possible
wound-dressing applications.