Multifunctional coaxial gelatin/polylactic acid three-dimensional nanofibrous scaffolds for diabetic wounds

Diabetes, characterized by hyperglycemia, poses a significant threat to human health. Diabetic wounds exhibit heightened levels of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), bacterial infection, hypoxia, and substantial exudate. These factors accelerate the inflammatory phase and impede wound healing, often leading to chronicity. Inadequate wound healing is a common chronic complication of diabetes. In this study, we fabricated three-dimensional (3D) curcumin@(manganese dioxide (MnO₂)@(gelatin/polylactic acid (PLA)@ε-polylysine (ε-pl))) (GPPMC) nanofibrous scaffolds dressing using coaxial electrospinning, homogenization, freeze-drying, glutaraldehyde crosslinking, and impregnation techniques. The presented gelatin-based 3D nanofibrous dressing demonstrated superior water absorption capacity, hemostatic proficiency, enhanced cell adhesion and tissue infiltration compared to two-dimensional (2D) counterparts. It also exhibited exceptional compressibility, biocompatibility, prolonged curcumin and ε-pl drug release, as well as scavenging capabilities against ROS, antibacterial efficacy and oxygen generation in vitro. Additionally, this dressing exhibited remarkable wound healing efficacy and anti-inflammatory in vivo. These findings suggested that the developed multifunctional gelatin-based 3D nanofibrous scaffold is a promising candidate for the treatment of diabetic wounds.