Integrating piezoelectric dressings with botanicals as emerging smart dressings for diabetic wound healing

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a common type of chronic wound characterized by slow healing, susceptibility to infection, and high amputation rates, causing significant suffering and economic burden to patients. Unfortunately, existing first-line treatments often fail to deliver desired outcomes, highlighting the urgent need for more effective solutions. Appropriate wound dressings can provide a favorable microenvironment for healing, making them an essential component of effective DFU management. Currently, novel dressings based on piezoelectric materials have gradually attracted attention. This review focuses on the remarkable advantages of these piezoelectric dressings and their applications in treating chronic wounds, particularly DFUs. Piezoelectric dressings facilitate tissue repair through electrical stimulation and achieve antibacterial effects via piezoelectric catalysis. Moreover, they allow for the controlled and on-demand release of therapeutic agents, addressing wound healing from multiple aspects. Additionally, botanicals, which provide a rich source of biochemicals, are safe and cost-effective and have shown significant efficacy in clinical applications for chronic wounds. However, investigations into integrating botanicals with piezoelectric materials in wound dressings are still in their infancy. Following presentations of the mechanisms by which botanicals can enhance DFU treatment, this review proposes that the development of piezoelectric dressings loaded with botanicals will fully harness their synergistic effects, paving the way for more effective treatment options for DFUs and other chronic wounds. Future research should further emphasize optimizing the design and functionality of these advanced dressings to significantly enhance their clinical impact.