Diabetic skin ulcer is one of the
severe complications of diabetes
mellitus, which has a high incidence and may cause death or disability.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is widely used in the treatment of diabetic
wounds due to the effect of growth factors (GFs) derived from it.
However, the relatively short half-life of GFs limits their applications
in clinics. In addition, the presence of a large amount of proteases
in the diabetic wound microenvironment results in the degradation
of GFs, which further impedes angiogenesis and diabetic wound healing.
In our study, we fabricated a self-healing and injectable hydrogel
with a composite of chitosan, silk fibroin, and PRP (CBPGCTS–SF@PRP)
for promoting diabetic wound healing. CBPGCTS–SF@PRP could
protect PRP from enzymatic hydrolysis, release PRP sustainably, and
enhance the chemotaxis of mesenchymal stem cells. The results showed
that it could promote the proliferation of repair cells in
vitro. Moreover, it could enhance wound healing by expediting
collagen deposition, angiogenesis, and nerve repair in a type 2 diabetic
rat model and a rat skin defect model. We hope that this study will
offer a new treatment for diabetic nonhealing wounds in clinics.
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