Table 1.

Overview of biomacromolecules for wound dressing films.

Biopolymer	Properties	Refs.
Polysaccharides
Alginate	Biocompatible, non-toxic, non-immunogenic, biodegradable, antimicrobial, and haemostatic	[39,41,42,43]
Chitosan	Non-toxic, biocompatible, biodegradable, moisture retentive, and haemostatic	[44,45,46,47,48]
Chitosan oligosaccharide	Antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and immune-stimulating	[49]
Cellulose	Biocompatible, hydrophilic, microporous, transparent, and non-toxic	[50,51,52,53]
Carboxymethyl-cellulose	Biocompatible and biodegradable	[54,55,56,57]
Carboxymethyl-chitosan	Amphoteric and hydrophilic	[58,59,60]
Gum acacia	Biocompatible, nontoxic, and water-soluble	[61]
Starch	Low-cost, biocompatible, biodegradable, easy preparation, and good film-forming properties	[62,63,64,65]
Carrageenan	Water-soluble, and good film-forming abilities and mechanical properties	[66,67,68]
Cellulose acetate	Water-insoluble, high transparency, and good mechanical and chemical resistance	[69,70]
Cellulose acetate phthalate	Hydrophilic and biodegradable	[71]
Oxidised starch	Low viscosity, and high stability and transparency	[64]
Dextran	Active in wound healing and controls bacterial growth	[39,72]
Chitin	Biodegradable, haemostatic, and cytocompatible	[73]
β-glucans	Immunostimulatory, and biodegradable	[74]
Hyaluronic Acid	Primary component of connective tissue, safe long-term, and reduces bacterial adhesion	[75,76]
Proteins
Collagen	High biocompatibility and biodegradability. Bioactive	[77]
Keratin	Low-cost and highly suitable for hydrogels, but concerns about wastes	[78,79]
Fish protein isolate	High film-forming ability	[80,81,82]
Gelatin	Biodegradable, biocompatible, and cell-recognizable	[39,56,81,83,84,85]
Soy protein isolate	Biocompatible, non-immunogenic, non-toxic, low-cost, biodegradable, and highly stable	[86]
Silk fibroin	Biocompatible, biodegradable, and minimum inflammatory reactions	[87]