A New Dimension in Wound Care: Evaluating the Efficacy of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle-based Therapies

Persistent infections, prolonged inflammation, and inadequate tissue regeneration often complicate delayed wound healing after mechanical trauma, diabetic ulcers, and burns. These challenges require new therapeutic strategies. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have been reported as promising candidates because of their pro-angiogenic, antibacterial, and antiinflammatory properties. This review aims to review the efficacy of ZnO-NP-based therapies in various wound types and formulation strategies.

This literature review was performed in the fields of pharmaceutics, biotechnology, and regenerative medicine. We performed a comprehensive literature search on ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Google Scholar platforms, considering only peer-reviewed studies published from 2020 to 2026. The selected studies comprised in vitro and in vivo preclinical investigations of ZnO-NPbased wound treatments. In addition, granted patents were searched in Espacenet and Google Patents. Search keywords included "zinc oxide nanoparticles," "wound healing," "diabetic ulcer," "burn wound," "hydrogel," "nanofiber," and "antibacterial".

In preclinical models, ZnO-NP-containing dressings significantly accelerated wound closure by boosting collagen deposition, angiogenesis, and re-epithelialization while reducing inflammation. Advanced formulations, including stimuli-responsive hydrogels and hybrid systems, demonstrated better efficacy than conventional treatments (untreated wounds, vehicle-only dressings, and standard antibiotic ointments), often reaching closure rates above 90% in 14-21 days. Green synthesis improved the biocompatibility and antioxidant properties of ZnO-NPs.

Even though ZnO-NPs provide numerous advantages in wound management, they are still confronted with challenges such as dose-dependent cytotoxicity, batch variability in green synthesis, and inadequate clinical data. There is an increasing commercial interest in smart, multifunctional ZnO-NPs dressings, as evidenced by the patents of these technologies.

Therapies that are based on ZnO nanoparticles introduce a novel aspect of wound care. With additional optimisation of safety, standardisation, and clinical translation, ZnO-NPs have the potential to significantly enhance the outcomes of acute and chronic wound treatment.