Plasma-activated hydrogel is an emerging wound-care technology for infected and difficult-to-heal wounds, including chronic wounds, burns, and diabetic ulcers. It combines a hydrogel dressing, which keeps the wound moist and protected, with cold plasma-derived reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) that can help reduce microbial burden and support tissue repair.
This approach is promising because it may provide a dual effect: antimicrobial activity against wound pathogens and biofilms, and support for healing processes such as inflammation modulation, cell migration, angiogenesis, and tissue remodeling. In this way, plasma-activated hydrogels are being explored as a non-antibiotic or antibiotic-sparing strategy for local wound management.
A key advantage of the hydrogel format is that it can act as a localized delivery platform, helping retain plasma-generated species at the wound surface while maintaining a favorable healing environment. Although the technology is still largely in the research and preclinical stage, it has gained attention as a next-generation dressing concept with potential to improve infection control and tissue regeneration in challenging wounds