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Non-healing wounds are a serious complication in diabetic patients. One of the detrimental factors contributing to limited wound healing is the accumulation of metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in the wound. Selective inhibition of MMP-9 is one of the established therapeutic targets for diabetic wound healing. Here, a functional and biocompatible wound dressing is developed to enable a controlled release of a traceable vector loaded with the antisense siRNA against MMP-9 in the wound. The dressing consists of degradable polymer nanofibers embedded with a vector nanosystem – polymer-coated fluorescent nanodiamonds optimized for the binding of siRNA and colloidal stability of nanodiamond–siRNA complexes in a physiological environment. The developed dressing is tested on murine fibroblasts and also applied to wounds in a diabetic murine model to evaluate its suitability in terms of in vivo toxicity, biological efficacy, and handling. The treatment results in significant local inhibition of MMP-9 and a shortening of the wound healing time. The scar formation in treated diabetic-like mice becomes comparable with that in non-treated diabetes-free mice. Our results suggest that the application of our biocompatible dressing loaded with a non-toxic vector nanosystem is an effective and promising approach to gene therapy of non-healing wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonisocyanate polyurethanes (NIPUs) and NIPU nanocomposites (NIPU-NCs) were developed from renewable sources. NIPUs were synthesized from a sustainable precursor, castor oil cyclic carbonate (CO-CC), via polyaddition with linalool diamine (LDA) at 110 °C. NIPU properties improved upon the incorporation of 0.5 wt% multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) via covalent (amine-functionalised MWCNTs) and non-covalent (pristine and oxidized MWCNTs) methods. These formulations resulted in the NIPU nanocomposites NIPU-MWCNT-NH2, NIPU-MWCNTs and NIPU-MWCNT-COOH. The physicochemical, thermal and morphological properties of NIPU and NIPU-NCs were studied via multiple techniques such as FTIR, NMR, XRD, TGA, DSC, SEM, water contact angle analysis, XPS and optical microscopy. These samples were applied for coating applications on a mild steel substrate (MST) and glass slides to study antifouling, anticorrosion and UV shielding. Thermal analyses of NIPUs and NIPU-NCs revealed good thermal stability with an appropriate glass transition (Tg) and onset degradation (Td) temperature. Indeed, water contact angle values showed hydrophilic properties, which prompt applications in marine coatings. Biodegradation studies implied that the structural network retained its stability even after immersion for 45 days in a PBS medium. Additionally, NIPUs and NIPU-MWCNT-NH2 demonstrated enhanced UV shielding capability. Finally, NIPU-MWCNT-NH2 exhibited anticorrosion with an impedance modulus ‖Z‖ of 7.43 × 102 (Ω cm2) and essential antifouling properties as well as significantly reduced algae adhesion to 3.143 million per mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A diabetic wound (DW) is an alteration in the highly orchestrated physiological sequence of wound healing especially, the inflammatory phase. These alterations result in the generation of oxidative stress and inflammation at the injury site. This further leads to the impairment in the angiogenesis, extracellular matrix, collagen deposition, and re-epithelialization. Additionally, in DW there is the presence of microbial load which makes the wound worse and impedes the wound healing cycle. There are several treatment strategies which have been employed by the researchers to mitigate the aforementioned challenges. However, they failed to address the multifactorial pathogenic nature of the disease. Looking at the severity of the disease researchers have explored snail mucus and its components such as achacin, allantoin, elastin, collagen, and glycosaminoglycan due to its multiple therapeutic potentials; however, glycosaminoglycan (GAGs) is very important among all because they accelerate the wound-healing process by promoting reepithelialization, vascularization, granulation, and angiogenesis at the site of injury. Despite its varied applications, the field of snail mucus in wound healing is still underexplored. The present review aims to highlight the role of snail mucus in diabetic wound healing, the advantages of snail mucus over conventional treatments, the therapeutic potential of snail mucus, and the application of snail mucus in DW. Additionally, clinical trials, patents, structural variations, and advancements in snail mucus characterization have been covered in the article., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Cells perceive external and internally generated forces of different kinds, significantly impacting their cellular biology. In the relatively nascent field of mechanobiology, the impact of such forces is studied and further utilized to broaden the knowledge of cellular developmental pathways, disease progression, tissue engineering, and developing novel regenerative strategies. However, extensive considerations of mechanotransduction pathways for biomedical applications are still broadly limited due to a lack of affordable technologies in terms of devices and simple magnetic actuatable materials. Herein, synthesizing a monophasic, macroporous, in situ-fabricated gelatin-based ferrogel is reported using polyethylene glycol (PEG) coated-iron oxide (magnetite) particles with high magnetization. Developing a 3D printed, compact, and wireless device capable of providing a wide range of magneto-mechanical actuation using magnetic field susceptible materials in a noncontact manner is reported. Using the device and ferrogel, C2C12 myoblast differentiation is studied under magnetic field actuation, and significant differences in the myogenin, a differentiation marker, expression behavior are observed. Due to careful design considerations, robust component selection, and easy availability of low-cost precursor for magnetic responsive material fabrication, the device-ferrogel combination can be easily adapted to routine biological studies, thereby helping mechanobiology to be utilized for developing exciting new biomedical strategies., (© 2025 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)