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Published on: February 17, 2023

A molecular perspective on diabetic wound healing: Exploring key signaling pathways

Anmoy Nandi1, N Anirudh Singh1, Srijita Chakrabarti1

  • 1Faculty of the Pharmaceutical Science, Assam Down Town University, Sankar Madhab Path, Gandhi Nagar, Panikhaiti, Guwahati, Assam 781026, India.

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta. General Subjects
|July 15, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Diabetic wound healing is impaired by hyperglycemia and inflammation disrupting key molecular pathways. Emerging therapies focus on targeting multiple pathways for improved chronic wound management.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Science
  • Molecular Biology
  • Wound Healing Research

Background:

  • Diabetic wounds affect 25% of diabetics globally, with delayed healing due to hyperglycemia, oxidative stress, and inflammation.
  • These factors disrupt essential tissue repair processes, leading to chronic non-healing wounds.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review molecular signaling pathways critical for diabetic wound healing.
  • To discuss novel therapeutic strategies targeting these pathways for improved patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of key signaling pathways including Wnt/β-catenin, MAPK/ERK, NF-κB/NLRP3, Hippo-YAP, HIF-1α/VEGF-SDF-1α, AKT/eNOS, PI3K/Akt, Nrf2, TGF-β/Smad, and Notch.
  • Examination of how diabetes-associated factors (AGEs, ROS, inflammation) disrupt these pathways.
  • Review of emerging therapies such as nanoparticle-based treatments, exosome therapies, and bioactive compounds.

Main Results:

  • Diabetes disrupts multiple signaling pathways, impairing keratinocyte migration, angiogenesis, and extracellular matrix remodeling.
  • These pathways regulate crucial aspects of healing: cell growth, blood vessel formation, inflammation control, and tissue repair.
  • Emerging therapies show promise by targeting these disrupted pathways.

Conclusions:

  • Therapeutic strategies should target multiple interacting pathways for effective diabetic wound management, rather than single components.
  • Future approaches may involve personalized medicine, AI diagnostics, and combination therapies for chronic diabetic wounds.
Keywords:
AngiogenesisDiabetic wound healingInflammationMolecular signaling pathways

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