Engineered sEVs encapsulated in GelMA facilitated diabetic wound healing by promoting angiogenesis via targeting thrombospondin-1

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Background Chronic nonhealing wounds are major complications in diabetic patients, with impaired angiogenesis playing a critical role in the delayed healing process. Current treatments for diabetic wounds are inadequate. The dysregulation of endothelial cell genes, particularly thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), impairs neovascularization and delays wound repair. In recent years, hydrogel-based wound dressings have gained widespread application in biomedicine. The study introduced a new therapeutic approach, embedding miR-221-3p-loaded small extracellular vesicles (miR-221 OE -sEVs) within gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels to reduce TSP-1 levels and improve healing in diabetic wounds. Methods First, we observed upregulated TSP-1 expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) when cultured in a high-glucose (HG) environment. We employed small interfering RNA (siRNA) and miR-221-3p to suppress TSP-1 expression and then evaluate the functional effects on HUVECs. Subsequently, miR-221-3p was encapsulated in sEVs via lentiviral transfection. The effects of miR-221 OE -sEVs on HUVECs under HG conditions were evaluated. Finally, miR-221 OE -sEVs were incorporated into a GelMA hydrogel (G-miR-221 OE -sEVs) and applied to a diabetic murine wound model to evaluate their effects on wound closure and angiogenesis. Results Under HG conditions, the use of siTSP-1 to silence TSP-1

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

Browse all related research

Filter the research library by this study's title keywords, author, or publication year.