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Updated: Jul 6, 2026
Murine Model of Wound Healing
Published on: May 28, 2013
ROS-responsive nanocomposite hydrogel dressing accelerates diabetic wound healing through modulation of the
Si Qin1, Haobin Zhang2, Huarun Li3
1Department of Dermatology, The Affiliated Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China; The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
None:
A persistent imbalance in the inflammatory microenvironment is a crucial cause of delayed healing in diabetic wounds. Improving the wound inflammatory microenvironment by modulating macrophage polarization is an important strategy to promote diabetic wound healing. However, modulating macrophage polarization through low-cost, biosafe and effective methods remains a challenge. In this work, a borate bond-based ROS-responsive nanocomposite hydrogel dressing (GelMC/PVA-UIO-66-NH2@Que) was developed for efficient diabetic wound repair by on-demand release of quercetin (Que) with immunomodulatory activity. 4-Carboxyphenylboronic acid modified methacryloylated gelatin (GelMC) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) formed a hydrogel network through dynamic borate bonding and further photocrosslinking. Que-loaded metal-organic framework nanoparticles (UIO-66-NH2@Que) was crosslinked into the hydrogel network through hydrogen bonding. The resulting hydrogel exhibited outstanding mechanical properties, distinct ROS-responsive release properties, and remarkable biocompatibility. In vitro cellular assays demonstrated that GelMC/PVA-UIO-66-NH2@Que could effectively scavenge intracellular ROS and modulate macrophage polarization. In addition, GelMC/PVA-UIO-66-NH2@Que was able to promote the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFA) and enhance the vasculogenic function of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by regulating macrophage polarization. In a diabetic rat model of full-thickness skin defect, GelMC/PVA-UIO-66-NH2@Que effectively reduced the level of wound inflammation and promoted wound repair. After 14 days of treatment, the wound healing ratio in the GelMC/PVA-UIO-66-NH2@Que group reached 92.02 ± 2.72 %, while the control group was only 48.48 ± 2.14 %. In conclusion, this ROS-responsive nanocomposite hydrogel dressing presents a promising approach to the safe and efficient management of diabetic wounds.
