Snail-inspired AFG/GelMA hydrogel accelerates diabetic wound healing via inflammatory cytokines suppression and macrophage polarization.

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a severe and rapidly growing diabetic complication, but treating DFUs remains a challenge for the existing therapies are expensive and highly non-responsive. Recently, we discovered that a natural adhesive from snail mucus can promote skin wound healing. Herein, inspired by the finding, we developed a double-network hydrogel biomaterial that composed of snail glycosaminoglycan (AFG) and methacrylated gelatin (GelMA), in which AFG is the main bioactive component of snail mucus and GelMA provides a scaffold mimicking the proteins in snail mucus.

A natural biological adhesive from snail mucus for wound repair.

The discovery of natural adhesion phenomena and mechanisms has advanced the development of a new generation of tissue adhesives in recent decades. In this study, we develop a natural biological adhesive from snail mucus gel, which consists a network of positively charged protein and polyanionic glycosaminoglycan. The malleable bulk adhesive matrix can adhere to wet tissue through multiple interactions.