Topical Insulin Applications for Wound Healing

Impaired wound repair, especially in diabetic patients, remains a major clinical challenge due to reduced growth factor signalling, chronic inflammation and heightened risk of infection. Topical insulin formulations aim to harness the hormone’s anabolic and anti-inflammatory properties directly at the wound bed, bypassing systemic effects and offering a cost-effective adjunct to standard care. Locally delivered insulin activates insulin receptors on keratinocytes, fibroblasts and endothelial cells, promoting cell proliferation, migration and collagen synthesis, while modulating cytokine profiles to resolve inflammation. Advances in delivery vehicles—ranging from hydrogels and biopolymeric membranes to nanocarriers and bioadhesives—focus on sustained release, mechanical robustness and antimicrobial functionality. Emerging evidence also highlights insulin’s ability to regulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and stabilise hypoxia-inducible factors, further supporting tissue regeneration and angiogenesis. Collectively, these strategies seek to accelerate re-epithelialisation, enhance extracellular matrix deposition and reduce healing times in both acute and chronic wounds, offering globally applicable solutions for diabetic ulcers and other hard-to-heal lesions.

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Topical Insulin Applications for Wound Healing publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in topical insulin applications for wound healing across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Keratinocyte proliferation: The process by which skin epithelial cells divide and increase in number to re-epithelialise a wound.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS): Chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen that at controlled levels can signal tissue repair but in excess cause oxidative stress.

Hydrogel: A three-dimensional network of hydrophilic polymers capable of retaining large volumes of water, often used as a moist wound dressing and delivery vehicle.

Bioadhesive: A formulation that adheres to biological tissues, ensuring prolonged contact between therapeutic agents and the wound surface.

Re-epithelialisation: The restoration of the epithelial layer over a wound through migration and proliferation of epithelial cells.

References

1. Carbonized Polymer Dot‐Tannic Acid Nanoglue: Tissue Reinforcement with Concurrent Fluorescent Tracking, Insulin Delivery, and Reactive Oxygen Species Regulation for Normal and Diabetic Wound Healing. Small (2024).
2. Biopolymeric Insulin Membranes for Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Wound Healing Applications. Pharmaceutics (2024).
3. Insulin-Loaded Chitosan–Cellulose-Derivative Hydrogels: In Vitro Permeation of Hormone through Strat-M® Membrane and Rheological and Textural Analysis. Polymers (2024).
4. Insulin-Containing Wound Dressing Promotes Diabetic Wound Healing Through Stabilizing HIF-1α. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (2020).