Novel pharmacotherapy for burn wounds: what are the advancements

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The prognosis for severe burns has improved significantly over the past 50 years. Meanwhile, burns have become an affliction mainly affecting the less well-developed regions of the world. Early excision and skin grafting has led to major improvements in therapeutic outcomes.

Areas covered: The purpose of this article is to survey the use of pharmacotherapy to treat different pathophysiological complications of burn injury. The author, herein, discusses the use of drug treatments for a number of systemic metabolic disturbances including hyperglycemia, elevated catabolism, and gluconeogenesis.

Expert opinion: Advancements in personalized and molecular medicine will make an impact on burn therapy. Similarities between severe burns and other critically ill patients will lead to cross-fertilization between different medical specialties. Furthermore, advances in stem cells and tissue regeneration will lead to improved healing and less lifelong disability. Indeed, research in new drug therapy for burns is actively progressing for many different complications.

KEYWORDS:

• Metabolic disturbances
• burn epidemiology
• burn progression
• infection
• smoke inhalation
• stem cells
• reduced scarring

Article highlights

• The prognosis for severe burns has improved in the last 50 years but research in pharmacotherapy continues.

• Agents that ameliorate the systemic disturbances in metabolism and hyperglycemia.

• Agents to combat smoke inhalation and prevent local burn progression.

• New antimicrobial dressings and approaches based on light and nanotechology to fight infection.

• Stem cell based approaches to help wound healing and TGFβ interventions to prevent scarring.

This box summarizes key points contained in the article

Declaration of interest

The author has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties

Reviewer Disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

MR Hamblin was supported by US National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Grants R01AI050875 and R21AI121700.