Probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics in burn wound healing: Antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory perspectives
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Burn injuries remain a major clinical challenge because of delayed wound healing, infection risk, and sustained inflammatory stress. Conventional therapies, including topical antimicrobials and systemic antibiotics, are limited by impaired tissue repair, microbial resistance, and dysbiosis. This mini-review aimed to summarize the current evidence on the potential roles and mechanisms of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics in burn wound healing, with particular emphasis on their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and regenerative effects, as well as emerging delivery strategies. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify and synthesize available evidence on microbiome-targeted interventions in burn wound management, including mechanistic, experimental, and clinical studies, with consideration of their therapeutic effects, safety, and delivery systems. Probiotics and prebiotics have emerged as promising adjunctive approaches in burn care through antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory mechanisms. Probiotics may suppress pathogen colonization, inhibit biofilm formation, and modulate cytokine responses, whereas prebiotics support beneficial microbiota and the production of bioactive metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids. In addition, postbiotics and delivery platforms such as hydrogels and encapsulated formulations may improve local stability, safety, and therapeutic efficacy. Available evidence suggests that selected microbiome-targeted interventions may reduce infectious complications and influence inflammatory and immune responses in burn patients, but clinical evidence remains limited and heterogeneous. Differences in strains, formulations, routes, treatment duration, and clinical outcomes, together with the predominance of preclinical evidence for several approaches, limit definitive conclusions regarding efficacy. Larger, standardized burn-specific clinical trials are needed to establish optimal interventions and safety.
Language: English
Topic: Wound Healing and Treatments
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7223550291