:
Chronic wounds remain a significant public problem and the development of wound treatments has been a
research focus for the past few decades. Despite advances in the products derived from endogenous substances involved in a
wound healing process (e.g. growth factors, stem cells, and extracellular matrix), effective and safe wound therapeutics are
still limited. There is an unmet need to develop new therapeutics. Various new pathways and targets have been identified
and could become a molecular target in designing novel wound agents. Importantly, many existing drugs that target these
newly identified pathways could be repositioned for wound therapy, which will facilitate fast translation of research findings
to clinical applications. This review discusses the newly identified pathways/targets and their potential uses in the
development of wound therapeutics. Some herbs and amphibian skins have been traditionally used for wound repairs and
their active ingredients have been found to act in these new pathways. Hence, screening these natural products for novel
wound therapeutics remains a viable approach. The outcomes of wound care using natural wound therapeutics could be
improved if we can better understand their cellular and molecular mechanisms and fabricate them in appropriate
formulations, such as using novel wound dressings and nano-engineered materials. Therefore, we also provide an update on
the advances in the wound therapeutics from natural sources. Overall, this review offers new insights into novel wound
therapeutics.
Topical effect of benzalkonium bromide on wound healing and potential cellular and molecular mechanisms
