A new hydrogel formulation restores blood flow to diabetic wounds and helps them heal. The corresponding study was published in Burns & Trauma and may allow diabetic wounds to heal in days instead of months.
Chronic nonhealing wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers, present as major complications for patients with diabetes, whose impaired blood vessel growth hampers the healing process. Current treatments diabetic wounds are largely inadequate. There is thus a need for new treatment options among which, hydrogel-based wound dressings have gained increasing attention in recent years.
One of the major hurdles for wound healing in diabetic patients is increased levels of thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), which inhibits the growth of new blood vessels vital for tissue repair. In the current study, researchers developed a new dressing which combined miR-221OE-sEVs- engineered extracellular vesicles that target and reduce TSP-1 levels- with a GeIMA hydrogel for sustained release.
To begin, they observed that human umbilical vein endothelial cells cultured in a high glucose environment similar to that in diabetic wounds displayed higher levels of TSP-1 expression, reducing their ability to form new blood vessels.
Next, in a mouse model of diabetic wounds, they found that their newly formulated gel significantly accelerated wound healing and increased vascularization. It also induced a 90% wound closure rate within just 12 days- much faster than the healing in control groups.
"Our results demonstrate the power of combining advanced tissue engineering with molecular biology. By targeting TSP-1 with miR-221OE-sEVs encapsulated in GelMA, we've not only improved endothelial cell function but also ensured a sustained and localized therapeutic effect. This breakthrough could revolutionize how we approach diabetic wound care, with the potential to improve patients' quality of life significantly,” study author, Dr. Chuan'an Shen of the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery at The Fourth Medical Center, Beijing, China, said in a press release.
Sources: Burns & Trauma, Science Daily
