Multifunctional ruthenium-based complexes for chronic wound therapy: from ligand engineering to intelligent...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Medicinal Chemistry

Background:

• Chronic wounds present a complex challenge due to oxidative stress, immune issues, and biofilms.
• Current single-target therapies have limited effectiveness in managing these multifaceted conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review how advanced ligand design transforms ruthenium-based complexes (RuBCs) into smart diagnostic-therapeutic systems for chronic wounds.
• To explore strategies for integrating sensing, targeted delivery, and multi-functional therapeutic actions.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the chronic wound microenvironment to identify therapeutic targets.
• Detailed examination of ruthenium-based nanomaterial properties and ligand design principles.
• Integration of environmentally responsive release, targeted delivery, and combined catalytic, phototherapeutic, and immunomodulatory functions.

Main Results:

• Intelligent ligand design enables RuBCs to act as diagnostic-therapeutic integrated systems.
• Strategies include responsive drug release, targeted delivery, and synergistic multi-modal therapies.
• Real-time diagnostics can be combined with therapy for closed-loop feedback systems.

Conclusions:

• Ruthenium-based complexes show promise for chronic wound treatment by addressing multiple pathological aspects.
• Challenges include biosafety, scalability, and in vivo validation.
• Future directions involve multi-stimulus responsiveness, advanced biomaterial synergy, and AI-assisted design.