New nanotechnology could accelerate wound healing in people with diabetes

A new piece of nanotechnology shows promise as a means of promoting tissue repair. The device could accelerate wound healing in people with diabetes.
The technology, developed by scientists at Alexandria University in Egypt, is made up of antibacterial nanofibres of cellulose acetate loaded with silver. It would be used as a new kind of dressing on wounds.
Slow wound healing is a common complication of diabetes. It occurs as a result of diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage), which causes poor blood circulation. Consequently, blood, which the body needs to repair skin, is unable to be transported to where it needs to go. Slow wound healing increases the risk of infection, and, in combination with neuropathy, is often the cause of foot ulcers and amputations.
The dressing is designed to address that, and the results so far are encouraging. The researchers tested the antibacterial properties of the dressing on a group of mice with diabetes. They examined the healing rate of wounds in the diabetic mice both with and without their dressing.
The technology quickly absorbed the fluids that came out of the mice’s wounds, and also protected them from infection. It also triggered the production of collage, a structural protein that makes repaired skin as strong as it was before being damaged. This is a problem that commonly affects people with diabetes.
Their findings were published in the International Journal of Nanoparticles.