Wound dressings for the controlled release of therapeutic agents

A wound dressing material for controlled activation of a wound healing therapeutic compound in the presence of a protease in a wound fluid, the material comprising:

• a medically acceptable polymer cross-linked by an oligopeptidic sequence;
• a therapeutic agent comprising a reactive oxygen scavenger selected from the group consisting of antioxidant phenol derivatives, vitamin E, methyl peroxide antioxidants, stilbenes, gallocatechins, ubiquinol, retinoids, vitamin A, vitamin C, N-acetyl cysteine, selenium and its compounds, zinc and its compounds, glutathione, carotenoids, papai, thioproline, albumin, chlorophyllin, antioxidant dyestuffs, and mixture or any two or more thereof;
• and
• an inhibitor of the protease;
• wherein
• the oligopeptidic sequence is cleavable by the protease and is a substrate for the protease;
• the therapeutic agent and the inhibitor are dispersed in a matrix of the medically acceptable polymer;
• and
• the activities of both the therapeutic agent and the inhibitor are increased by contacting the wound dressing material with a wound fluid containing the protease.