A fluffy fibrous scaffold with metal-polyphenolic nanocomplexes provides sustained clearance of reactive oxygen species to promote burn wound healing.

Abstract

Skin burns remain challenging in clinical treatment due to their complex wound morphology, high oxidative stress, hypoxic microenvironment, and severe inflammatory response. Developing strategies for highly effective biomaterials with precise biological functions has become an urgent priority in addressing clinical challenges. This study developed a fluffy fibrous scaffold loaded with a metal-polyphenol nanocomposite (CeLut). The scaffold possesses water-retaining capacity, three-dimensional fluffiness, and interlayer porosity, which promote cell spreading, migration, and proliferation. It is capable of sustained release of luteolin and Ce ions, efficiently scavenging ROS while modulating oxygen metabolism. These synergistic effects of physics and biomaterials science rebalance the oxidative and hypoxic microenvironment of burn wounds, significantly accelerating wound healing, promoting skin regeneration, and alleviating inflammatory responses in a mouse burn model. The results showed that within 14 days after a second-degree burn, the recovery rate of functional skin structure reached 96.3%. These findings demonstrate the therapeutic value of fluffy fibrous scaffold containing metal-polyphenol nanocomposites in promoting burn wound repair, thereby providing a new strategy for the preparation of customized multifunctional bioactive scaffolds.