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World J Diabetes. Jul 15, 2026; 17(7): 119741
Published online Jul 15, 2026. doi: 10.4239/wjd.119741
Published online Jul 15, 2026. doi: 10.4239/wjd.119741
Nicotinamide mononucleotide-loaded thermosensitive hydrogel promotes diabetic wound healing via antibacterial and antioxidant synergy in a mouse model
Fei Peng, Yuan Tang, Yu-Qi Zhu, Huan-Zhang Zhu, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
Yang-Yang Li, Shang-Xue Sun, Department of Nursing, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200003, China
Xin-Yin Zhang, Department of Nursing, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
Co-first authors: Fei Peng and Yang-Yang Li.
Author contributions: Peng F and Li YY were responsible for methodology, investigation, formal analysis, writing-original draft, equally contributed as co-first authors; Tang Y, Sun SX, Zhu YQ, and Zhang XY were responsible for investigation and resources; Zhu HZ was responsible for conceptualization, supervision, writing-review and editing; all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: We used AI as a writing assistant for polishing and basic rephrasing of the response letter. All scientific content, experimental data, technical explanations, and specific revisions (title change, abstract edits, new paragraphs in Discussion) were written by us. AI never wrote any scientific arguments or data.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: All experiments were conducted following the Chinese Guidelines for Animal Research and were approved by the Ethics Review Committee of Fudan University (No. 2021JS0082).
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE guidelines.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Huan-Zhang Zhu, Academic Fellow, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, No. 2005 Songhu Road, Xinjiangwancheng Street, Yangpu District, Shanghai 200433, China. hzzhu@fudan.edu.cn
Received: February 10, 2026
Revised: April 1, 2026
Accepted: May 18, 2026
Published online: July 15, 2026
Processing time: 148 Days and 21.6 Hours
Revised: April 1, 2026
Accepted: May 18, 2026
Published online: July 15, 2026
Processing time: 148 Days and 21.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: In this study, a thermosensitive Pluronic F127/polyhexamethylene biguanide composite hydrogel loaded with antioxidant nicotinamide mononucleotide was prepared, which showed sustained strong antibacterial and antioxidant properties and favorable biosafety. In vitro, hydrogel inhibited bacteria, and boosted cell migration and angiogenesis. In mouse models, it markedly accelerated diabetic ulcer healing via faster re-epithelialization, reduced inflammation, elevated collagen deposition and angiogenesis, as well as upregulating vascular endothelial growth factor and transforming growth factor-β1. This hydrogel is a safe, effective novel dressing for clinical diabetic ulcer treatment.