Advancements in zinc oxide nanofibers for enhanced rehabilitation and injury recovery: mechanisms, applications, and future directions.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofibers have attracted significant attention in biomedical research, not only because of their unique properties, such as large specific surface areas and biological compatibilities, but also due to their functionalization technology for the applications of interest. These nanomaterials are promising for enhancing the rehabilitation process after injury, so they should be applied not just in a binary medical sense. This review summarizes recent advances in ZnO nanofibers, including potential mechanisms, medical applications, and prospects for the field. These nanofiber also possesses several critical characteristics for tissue regeneration and healing applications. Piezoelectricity is a phenomenon that discharges a little electrical charge in response to mechanical pressure, and it has a beneficial impact on cell activation, including proliferation, differentiation, and migration. One promising application of ZnO nanofibers is wound healing, as they have been found to promote wound healing by facilitating the rapid regeneration of collagen and enhancing cell migration. They are also used as a drug delivery system for the controlled release of the therapeutic agents to the site of injury, thereby maximizing therapeutic efficacy and reducing undesired secondary side effects at remote sites. Despite these advantages, several problems remain to be solved for the wide use of ZnO nanofibers. Issues such as the upscaling of the production process, homogeneous fiber morphology, and long-term biocompatibility/toxicity must be investigated. These limitations need to be addressed in more detail for further studies on the clinical applicability of ZnO nanofibers. The promising applications of ZnO nanofibers in wound healing, injury recovery, and rehabilitation are expected to be realized as they are further customized, with adjustments to their production process, improvements in biocompatibility, and the development of targeted formulations that are more specific in therapy with greater efficiency.