A transparent osmotic wound dressing ATKPAD promotes healing by retaining cytokines and inducing hypoxia-driven inflammation

The inflammatory response after skin injury is crucial for activating the wound-healing process involving cytokine and growth factor secretion essential for tissue repair. Modern wound dressings promote healing by maintaining a moist, hypoxic environment. ATKPAD is a novel wound dressing that accelerates healing developed by Okamoto Industries, Inc. Composed of reduced starch syrup and a semi-permeable membrane, it was launched in Japan as a Class III advanced medical device in 2024. ATKPAD is unique in its transparency, allowing clear wound visibility, and selectively absorbs wound exudate through the combined effects of osmotic pressure and its semi-permeable membrane. However, the detailed molecular and cellular mechanisms of ATKPAD remain unclear. In this study, we examined its effect on acute wound healing. We analyzed the in vitro permeability of cytokines and growth factors and evaluated granulation tissue formation, angiogenesis, neutrophil infiltration, and cytokine and growth factor production in vivo . We found that cytokines and growth factors were selectively retained by ATKPAD. Its application enhanced granulation tissue formation and neutrophil infiltration, accompanied by increased hypoxia marker expression. These findings suggest that ATKPAD promotes wound healing by creating a hypoxic microenvironment that enhances early-phase inflammation while preserving key bioactive factors at the wound site.