Mycelium-based biomaterials as smart devices for skin wound healing.

Recently, mycelia of and , edible fungi, have been characterized as self-growing biomaterials for tissue engineering since they are constituted of interconnected fibrous networks resembling the dermal collagen structure. This work aims to investigate the biopharmaceutical properties of and mycelia to prove their safety and effectiveness in tissue engineering as dermal substitutes. The mycelial materials were characterized using a multidisciplinary approach, including physicochemical properties (morphology, thermal behavior, surface charge, and isoelectric point). Moreover, preclinical properties such as gene expression and wound healing assay have been evaluated using fibroblasts. Finally, these naturally-grown substrates were applied using a murine burn/excisional wound model. Both and mycelia are biocompatible and able to safely and effectively enhance tissue repair in our preclinical model.