Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 Nanocomposite Hydrogels for Diabetic Wound Healing

To avoid the problem of difficult wound healing caused by diabetes. In this study, zeolite imidazolium ester skeleton-8 (ZIF-8) was loaded with dihydroquercetin (DHQ) in order to improve the slow-release property as well as the biological activity of DHQ, and the mechanism of wound healing action of ZIF-8-loaded hydrogel was investigated by Western blot technique. The results showed that the dynamic light scattering result was 90.54 ± 3.45 nm and the zeta potential was −32.91 mV. In addition, through the synergistic effect of ZIF-8 and DHQ, the hydrogel exhibited excellent in vitro activity, and the in vitro antioxidant results showed that the inhibition rate of DZP hydrogel against the free radicals of ABTS and DPPH was over 90%, and the inhibition rate against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was over 90%, respectively, and also promoted cell growth and migration. In addition, the in vitro release assay of DHQ from DZP hydrogel at 24 h showed 61.69 ± 1.93% at pH = 6.0 and 62.42 ± 1.58% at pH = 7.4, which improves the slow-release property of DHQ and is suitable for long-term tissue repair applications. The results of in vivo experiments showed that DZP hydrogel promotes the healing of difficult-to-heal wounds by inhibiting the activation of the IkBα/NF-κB pathway, stimulating skin neovascularisation, and promoting collagen accumulation. Collectively, these properties make DZP a strong candidate for diabetic wound dressings and are expected to play an important role in wound management.