A Comprehensive Review of the Application of Nanoparticles in Diabetic Wound Healing: Therapeutic Potential and Future Perspectives

Wenqi Qin,1 Yan Wu,1 Jieting Liu,1 Xiaohuan Yuan,1 Jie Gao2 1College of Life Science, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Changhai Clinical Research Unit, Shanghai Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xiaohuan Yuan, College of Life Science, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang, 157001, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 453 6984647, Email yuanxiaohuan@mdjmu.edu.cn Jie Gao, Changhai Clinical Research Unit, Shanghai Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200433, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 021 31166666, Email gaojiehighclea@163.comAbstract: Diabetic wounds are one of the most challenging public health issues of the 21st century due to their inadequate vascular supply, bacterial infections, high levels of oxidative stress, and abnormalities in antioxidant defenses, whereas there is no effective treatment for diabetic wounds. Due to the distinct properties of nanoparticles, such as their small particle size, elevated cellular uptake, low cytotoxicity, antibacterial activity, good biocompatibility, and biodegradability. The application of nanoparticles has been widely used in the treatment of diabetic wound healing due to their superior anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant activities. These nanoparticles can also be loaded with various agents, such as organic molecules (eg, exosomes, small molecule compounds, etc.), inorganic molecules (metals, nonmetals, etc.), or complexed with various biomaterials, such as smart hydrogels (HG), chitosan (CS), and hyaluronic acid (HA), to augment their therapeutic potential in diabetic wounds. This paper reviews the therapeutic potential and future perspective of nanoparticles in the treatment of diabetic wounds. Together, nanoparticles represent a promising strategy in the treatment of diabetic wound healing. The future direction may be to develop novel nanoparticles with multiple effects that not only act in wound healing at all stages of diabetes but also provide a stable physiological environment throughout the wound-healing process.Keywords: nanoparticles, biomaterials, wound healing, diabetic wound, diabetic complications