Seaweed-Derived Polysaccharide Hydrogels for Diabetic Wound Healing: Strategies, Mechanisms and Therapeutic...

Chronic diabetic wounds remain a major clinical burden due to persistent oxidative stress, microbial infection and impaired vascularization. Composite seaweed-derived hydrogels engineered from sulfated polysaccharides such as alginate, fucoidan, laminarin, carrageenan, agarose and ulvan offer a promising biomaterial platform that integrates mechanical robustness with bioactivity. The unique chemistry of marine polysaccharides, featuring carboxyl and sulfate groups, provides intrinsic antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and angiogenic functions while enabling facile chemical modification and crosslinking. Through hybridization with biopolymers, nanoparticles and therapeutic agents, these composites achieve tunable viscoelasticity, controlled degradation and sustained release of bioactives. Their multifunctional mechanisms include ROS scavenging, cytokine suppression, macrophage polarization, VEGF stabilization and antibacterial action, collectively restoring the wound microenvironment. Advanced fabrication techniques such as 3D bioprinting, microfluidic gelation and stimuli-responsive design further enhance spatial control and therapeutic precision. Despite promising preclinical outcomes, translational challenges remain regarding standardization, structural reproducibility and clinical validation. This review consolidates recent progress in the chemistry, engineering and biological performance of seaweed-based composite hydrogels, highlighting their emerging role as intelligent, bioinstructive platforms for diabetic wound regeneration and next-generation wound-care technology.