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Multifunctional dressings made from natural mucus – the path to fast and safe healing
Last reviewed: 09.08.2025
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In a review in the journal Theranostics, Peng and colleagues present a promising dressing platform based on natural mucus from animals, plants, and microorganisms that can actively accelerate all stages of wound healing.
Why is this important?
Traditional and synthetic dressings provide only passive protection and often fail to control inflammation, infection and scarring. Natural mucus, a natural “multifunctional gel” that combines adhesion, antibacterial and immunomodulatory effects, can replace several drugs at once.
Sources and properties
- Animal mucus (snails, slugs, sea mollusks) is rich in mucins and antimicrobial peptides, forms a “living” network that adapts to humidity and maintains close contact with tissues.
- Plant mucus (okra seeds, cacti) contains pectins and polysaccharides, which in the acidic environment of the wound enhance adhesion to collagen and stimulate the migration of fibroblasts.
- Microbial mucus (microalgae, bacteria) secretes exopolysaccharides with a pronounced antioxidant effect, helping to reduce the activity of free radicals in wound fluid.
Mechanisms of action
- Hemostasis and early immune response: Andrias davidianus-type mucus rapidly activates blood coagulation and recruits neutrophils to destroy pathogens.
- Fibroblast proliferation and granulation formation: Mucus components interact with TGF-β, PDGF and other growth factors to accelerate dermal matrix regeneration.
- Scar remodeling and minimization: Specific glycosaminoglycans from microbial mucus regulate the transition of macrophages to a repair phenotype and control excessive collagen accumulation.
Preclinical data
- In mouse and rabbit models of deep wounds, snail and plant mucus-based dressings reduced healing time by 30–50% compared to hyaluronate-based gels.
- The dressings effectively prevented the development of infection with Staphylococcus aureus and reduced inflammatory markers (IL-1β, TNF-α).
Prospects and Challenges
- Environmentally friendly and accessible: natural mucus is a renewable resource, and its processing requires minimal energy costs.
- Translation to the clinic: Further studies are needed to standardize mucus extraction, purification and sterilization, and to assess long-term safety in humans.
- Design of "smart" dressings: Combining natural mucus with nanomaterials and drug loading will open the way to continuous monitoring of the wound condition and control of the release of antibiotics or growth factors.
“Natural mucus exhibits unique self-regulating properties, allowing tissues to ‘breathe’ while remaining protected and activating their own regeneration mechanisms,” sums up Professor Weiliang Hou.
The authors highlight three main points:
Unique self-regulating properties of mucus
“We have shown that natural mucus not only moisturizes and protects the wound, but also adapts to its microenvironment, enhancing hemostasis and attracting immune cells at the right time,” notes Weiliang Hou.Multifunctional healing mechanism
“Mucus components simultaneously stimulate fibroblast proliferation, granulation formation, and control inflammation, which accelerates healing and minimizes scarring,” adds co-author Lin Zhang.Potential for 'smart' dressings of the future
"The combination of natural mucus with nanomaterials and drug agents opens the door to biomaterials that can not only heal, but also monitor the healing process in real time," concludes Dr. Howe.
This comprehensive review lays the scientific foundation for the next generation of biomaterials, where mucosal dressings will become smart, bioactive and environmentally friendly solutions in traumatology and surgery.