Biomedical applications of electrospun nanofibers in the management of diabetic wounds

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex disease that affects almost all the body's vital organs. Around 415 million people have been diagnosed with DM worldwide, and most of them are due to type 2 DM. The incidence of DM is estimated to increase by 642 million individuals by 2040. DM is considered to have many complications among which diabetic wound (DW) is one of the most distressing complication. DW affects 15% of people with diabetes and is triggered by the loss of glycaemic control, peripheral neuropathy, vascular diseases, and immunosuppression. For timely treatment, early detection, debridement, offloading, and controlling infection are crucial. Even though several treatments are available, the understanding of overlying diabetes-related wound healing mechanisms as therapeutic options has increased dramatically over the past decades. Conventional dressings are cost-effective; however, they are not productive enough to promote the overall process of DW healing. Thanks to tissue engineering developments, one of the promising current trends in innovative wound dressings such as hydrocolloids, hydrogels, scaffolds, films, and nanofibers which merges traditional healing agents and modern products/practices. Nanofibers prepared by electrospinning with enormous porosity, excellent absorption of moisture, the better exchange rate of oxygen, and antibacterial activities have increased interest. The application of these nanofibers can be extended by starting with a careful selection of polymers, loading with active therapeutic moieties such as peptides, proteins, active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), and stem cells, etc. to make them as potential dosage forms in the management of DWs. This review explains the potential applications of electrospun nanofibers in DW healing.

Automated summary

Diabetes mellitus is a complex disease affecting millions worldwide, with diabetic wound being a common complication. Early detection, debridement, offloading, and infection control are crucial for diabetic wound treatment. Nanofiber dressings are considered a promising innovative approach, offering high moisture absorption, oxygen exchange rate, and antibacterial properties.