The Landscape and Future Perspective of Hydrogel Dressings for Diabetic Foot Ulcer Therapy: From Lab to Workshop

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU), a prevalent chronic wound, pose severe threats to patients' quality of life. Recently hydrogel dressings have emerged as a promising therapeutic option for DFU. This study aimed to gain the current status, hotspots and research orientation of the field via analyzing the characteristics of both literature and patents on hydrogel dressings for DFU therapy. The literature and patents were retrieved and screened from the Web of Science Core Collection database and the IncoPat global patent database, respectively. The bibliometric analysis was conducted by CiteSpace 6.1.R6. We found that both articles and patents related to the field surged since 2019 in parallel. Research on this topic has involved 43 countries worldwide; two large-scale collaborative clusters were respectively led by China and Spain; Wenzhou Medical University and D.G. Armstrong are the core institution and researcher. Through analyzing literature, angiogenesis, drug delivery and inflammation are the core focus, while conductive hydrogels and therapy strategy have become emerging research hotspots. Given the patents, the focus of hydrogels for DFU are concentrated on clinical application scenarios, hydrogel preparation and drug loading. In conclusion, both literature publication and patent application have garnered increasing academic attention and recognition. Effective and productive hydrogel represent a promising therapeutic option for DFU patients.