# Chronic Wound Healing: Research Advances from Pathological Mechanisms to Natural Herbal Active Ingredients and Material Delivery Systems

## TL;DR

This paper reviews advances in chronic wound healing, focusing on combining natural herbal ingredients with biomaterials to improve treatment outcomes.

## Contribution

The paper systematically reviews novel biomaterials and their synergy with natural compounds for chronic wound therapy.

## Key findings

- Persistent inflammation and impaired tissue repair are key mechanisms in chronic wound persistence.
- Biomaterials enhance the delivery and efficacy of natural bioactive compounds in wound healing.
- Combined therapies show promise in accelerating healing through targeted microenvironment regulation.

## Abstract

Chronic wound healing is a complex pathological process driven by multiple factors, presenting a significant global healthcare challenge. It not only severely compromises patients’ quality of life but also imposes a substantial socioeconomic burden. In recent years, with deepening insights into the wound microenvironment, composite therapeutic strategies combining natural herbal medicines and their active components with modern biomaterials have offered novel approaches to overcoming refractory wounds caused by diabetic ulcers, vascular lesions, burns, and infections. This paper first outlines the biological foundations of normal wound healing, emphasizing the core mechanisms underlying chronic wound persistence—including persistent inflammatory responses, impaired tissue repair, and cellular dysfunction. Building upon this foundation, the article systematically reviews the existing therapeutic approaches (such as conventional debridement) before focusing on the classification and application of novel biomaterials. It further analyzes the synergistic therapeutic advantages of using materials as delivery systems for natural bioactive compounds. This combined approach enables targeted regulation of the chronic wound microenvironment, synergistically promoting cell proliferation and migration to accelerate healing. Deepening our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying chronic wounds, coupled with advanced biomaterial technologies, will propel clinical treatment toward more precise and efficient outcomes.