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REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.

Sec. Inflammation Pharmacology

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1561112

Mechanism underlying the involvement of CXCR4/CXCL12 in diabetic wound healing and prospects for responsive hydrogel-loaded CXCR4 formulations

Provisionally accepted
Yang Chong Yang Chong 1,2*Lingli Wang Lingli Wang 1,2Fengsong Nie Fengsong Nie 1,2Zhaoyu Lu Zhaoyu Lu 1,2
  • 1 Medical College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
  • 2 Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Diabetes mellitus is a prevalent chronic disease, often leading to complications, with chronic wounds being among the most challenging. Impairment of the CXCR4/CXCL12 signaling pathway, which plays a key role in cell mobilization, migration, and angiogenesis, significantly hampers the wound healing process in diabetic patients. Modulation of this pathway using CXCR4-targeted agents has shown promise in restoring wound repair capabilities. Additionally, the development of responsive hydrogels capable of adapting to external stimuli offers a powerful platform for drug delivery in chronic wound management. These hydrogels, when loaded with CXCR4 agonists or antagonists, enable controlled drug release and real-time therapeutic modulation. Integrating such hydrogels with existing wound healing strategies may provide an innovative and effective solution for overcoming the challenges associated with diabetic wound treatment.

    Keywords: diabetic wound, CXCR4, CXCL12, Mobilization, Migration, agonist, AMD3100, responsive hydrogels

    Received: 31 Jan 2025; Accepted: 07 Apr 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Chong, Wang, Nie and Lu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yang Chong, Medical College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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