Nano-Engineered Dressings for Infected Diabetic Wounds: Synergy of Catalysis, Delivery, and Fluid Management

Diabetic chronic wounds have emerged as a major global public health challenge due to a self-perpetuating vicious cycle driven by interconnected pathological factors. Conventional treatment strategies, such as surgical debridement and standard dressings, often fail to effectively penetrate the biofilm barrier or simultaneously modulate the complex wound microenvironment, resulting in limited therapeutic efficacy and an increased risk of drug resistance. The advent of nanotechnology offers a revolutionary tool to address this dilemma. Leveraging their unique size effects, facile functionalization, and stimuli-responsive properties, nanomaterials can be engineered into multifunctional platforms for the active modulation of the wound microenvironment. This review systematically summarizes three cutting-edge strategies for nano-based wound dressings in the management of diabetic wound infections, including nanozyme catalytic therapy, nano-microneedle synergistic delivery systems, and Janus-structured intelligent fluid management, aiming to elucidate the mechanisms of action, synergistic rationale, and clinical translational prospects of these strategies.