Water-powered, electronics-free dressings that electrically stimulate wounds for rapid wound closure.

Chronic wounds affect ~2% of the U.S. population and increase risks of amputation and mortality. Unfortunately, treatments for such wounds are often expensive, complex, and only moderately effective. Electrotherapy represents a cost-effective treatment; however, its reliance on bulky equipment limits its clinical use. Here, we introduce water-powered, electronics-free dressings (WPEDs) that offer a unique solution to this issue. The WPED performs even under harsh conditions-situations wherein many present treatments fail. It uses a flexible, biocompatible magnesium-silver/silver chloride battery and a pair of stimulation electrodes; upon the addition of water, the battery creates a radial electric field. Experiments in diabetic mice confirm the WPED's ability to accelerate wound closure and promote healing by increasing epidermal thickness, modulating inflammation, and promoting angiogenesis. Across preclinical wound models, the WPED-treated group heals faster than the control with wound closure rates comparable to treatments requiring expensive biologics and/or complex electronics. The results demonstrate the WPED's potential as an effective and more practical wound treatment dressing.

Use of Therapeutic RNAs to Accelerate Wound Healing in Diabetic Rabbit Wounds.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects over 422 million people globally. Patients with DM are subject to a myriad of complications, of which diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are the most common with ∼25% chance of developing these wounds throughout their lifetime. Innovation: Currently there are no therapeutic RNAs approved for use in DFUs. Use of dressings containing novel layer-by-layer (LbL)-formulated therapeutic RNAs that inhibit PHD2 and miR-210 can significantly improve diabetic wound healing. These dressings provide sustained release of therapeutic RNAs to the wounds locally without systemic side effects. Clinical Problem Addressed: Diabetic foot wounds are difficult to heal and often result in significant patient morbidity and mortality. Materials and Methods: We used the diabetic neuroischemic rabbit model of impaired wound healing. Diabetes was induced in the rabbits with alloxan, and neuroischemia was induced by ligating the central neurovascular bundle of each ear. Four 6-mm full-thickness wounds were created on each ear. A LbL technique was used to conformally coat the wound dressings with chemically modified RNAs, including an antisense oligonucleotide (antimiR) targeting microRNA-210 (miR-210), an short synthetic hairpin RNA (sshRNA) targeting PHD2, or both. Results: Wound healing was improved by the antimiR-210 but not the PHD2-sshRNA. Specific knockdown of miR-210 in tissue as measured by RT-qPCR was ∼8 Ct greater than nonspecific controls, and this apparent level of knockdown (>99%) suggests that delivery to the tissue is highly efficient at the administered dose. Discussion: Healing of ischemic/neuropathic wounds in diabetic rabbits was accelerated upon inhibition of miR-210 by LbL delivery to the wound bed. miR-210 inhibition was achieved using a chemically modified antisense RNA.