Photocatalytic glucose depletion and hydrogen generation for diabetic wound healing

Abstract

High-glucose microenvironment in the diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) causes excessive glycation and induces chronic inflammation, leading to the difficulty of DFU healing. Hydrogen-rich water bath can promote the healing of DFU in clinic by virtue of the anti-inflammatory effect of hydrogen molecules, but the long-term daily soaking counts against the formation of a scab and cannot change the high-glucose microenvironment, limiting the outcome of DFU therapy. In this work, photocatalytic therapy of diabetic wound is proposed for sustainable hydrogen generation and local glucose depletion by utilizing glucose in the high-glucose microenvironment as a sacrificial agent. Hydrogen-incorporated titanium oxide nanorods are developed to realize efficient visible light (VIS)-responsive photocatalysis for glucose depletion and hydrogen generation, achieving a high efficacy of diabetic wound healing. Mechanistically, local glucose depletion and hydrogen generation jointly attenuate the apoptosis of skin cells and promote their proliferation and migration by inhibiting the synthesis of advanced glycation end products and the expression of their receptors, respectively. The proposed VIS-photocatalytic strategy provides a solution for facile, safe and efficient treatment of DFU.

Study details

Article type

Original Research

Disease / injury model

Diabetic wound (diabetic foot ulcer, DFU) in C57BL/6 mice induced by STZ and high-fat diet

Duration

14 days

Outcome

Positive

Findings

Photocatalytic therapy using hydrogen-incorporated titanium oxide nanorods (HTON) under visible light enables local glucose depletion and hydrogen generation, which synergistically inhibit advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and their receptor (RAGE) expression, reduce apoptosis, and promote proliferation and migration of skin cells, resulting in significantly accelerated healing of diabetic wounds in a mouse model.