Provided herein are methods for improving skin quality in a subject comprising administering to the skin a pharmaceutical composition comprising a polypeptide covalently bound to a hydrophilic polymer and/or a polysaccharide covalently bound to a hydrophilic polymer.

The present invention relates to an antimicrobial pharmaceutical composition, comprising an aqueous carrier, and an antimicrobial synthetic cationic polypeptide(s) dispersed in the aqueous carrier at a concentration in the range of about 0.01% to about 5%, by weight based on total weight of the antimicrobial pharmaceutical composition, wherein the antimicrobial synthetic cationic polypeptide(s) comprises a plurality of positively charged amino acid units at neutral pH, and fulfils certain viscosity and toxicity requirements. The invention further relates to a method of preventing microbial contamination of tissues other than intact, healthy skin, comprising administering the present antimicrobial pharmaceutical composition in an amount effective to at least partially protect the tissue site from becoming contaminated with microbes.

Provided are hydrogel-based compositions and materials for wound healing and methods of using same. The hydrogel comprises nanofibers formed from protein Q, which is a variant of the cartilage oligomeric matrix protein coiled coil (COMPcc) protein, or a protein having at least 85% homology with protein Q. The hydrogel has one or more wound healing agents distributed therein and associated with the Q fibers. The wound healing agent may be exosomes, which may be exosomes produced by cells, such as exosomes produced by multipotent stromal cells and/or one or more triterpenoids. The hydrogels may be used in treatment of wounds, such as chronic wounds.

The present invention refers to a composition, comprising hemoglobin or myoglobin, wherein in at least 40% of said hemoglobin or myoglobin the oxygen binding site is charged by a non-O.sub.2 ligand, and at least one further ingredient, a method for preparing said composition and the use of hemoglobin or myoglobin charged with a non-oxygen ligand for external treatment of wounds.

Disclosed is a dry composition comprising one or more polyols, which upon addition of an aqueous medium forms a substantially homogenous paste suitable for use in haemostasis procedures. The paste reconstitutes spontaneously upon addition of the liquid; hence no mechanical mixing is required for said paste to form. The composition may further comprise an extrusion enhancer, such as albumin. Also disclosed are methods of preparing said dry composition, a paste obtained from said dry composition and uses of said dry composition or paste for medical and surgical purposes.

The present disclosure relates to a novel sericin-based hydrogel wherein the silk sericin is enzymatically cross-linked for an improved treatment of wound healing, ischemic diseases or cardiovascular diseases, namely chronic wound healing, in particular diabetic wound.

One aspect of the invention provides a method of sequentially inducing macrophage conversion in a wound. The method includes: (a) administering IL-4 to induce conversion of a first population of wound macrophages in the wound to M2A macrophages; and then (b) administering IL-10, dexamethasone, or a dexamethasone analog to induce conversion of a second population of wound macrophages in the wound to M2C macrophages.

Disclosed herein are hydrogels that can be loaded with myogenic agents, for instance muscle stem cells (MuSCs)/satellite cells, pro-myogenic factors, and combinations thereof. The hydrogels can be contacted with damaged muscle tissue, thereby facilitating muscle growth and repair. Further provided are methods of repairing muscle tissue in a patient in need thereof, said methods comprising contacting the muscle tissue with a composition comprising the hydrogel. Also provided herein are kits comprising the hydrogel composition and a substrate comprising at least one microneedle.

Compositions that include nanoscale structured materials or precursors thereof (e.g., self: assembling peptides) are described. The compositions can include other substances (e.g., a vasoconstrictor). Also described are methods for using the compositions to promote hemostasis, to protect the skin or wounds from contamination, to decontaiminate a site upon removal of previously applied compositions that provided a protective coating, and to inhibit the movement of bodily substances other than blood. The compositions are also useful in isolating tissue, removing tissue, preserving tissue (for, e.g., subsequent transplantation or reattachment), and as bulking, stabilizing or hydrating agents. Medical devices that include the compositions (e.g., a stent or catheter), bandages or other wound dressings, sutures, and kits that include the compositions are also described.

A microporous gel system for certain applications, including biomedical applications, includes an aqueous solution containing plurality of microgel particles including a biodegradable crosslinker. In some aspects, the microgel particles act as gel building blocks that anneal to one another to form a covalently-stabilized scaffold of microgel particles having interstitial spaces therein. In certain aspects, annealing of the microgel particles occurs after exposure to an annealing agent that is endogenously present or exogenously added. In some embodiments, annealing of the microgel particles requires the presence of an initiator such as exposure to light. In particular embodiments, the chemical and physical properties of the gel building blocks can be controlled to allow downstream control of the resulting assembled scaffold. In one or more embodiments, cells are able to quickly infiltrate the interstitial spaces of the assembled scaffold.