The disturbance of the inflammatory microenvironment is a frequent pathological trait of diabetic wounds, contributing to the emergence of numerous chronic illnesses. This is crucial in both the development and recovery of wounds caused by diabetes. This study aims to perform a bibliometric analysis of research on the inflammatory microenvironment within the domain of diabetic wounds (DW) over the past 10 years. The objective is to map out the current global research landscape, pinpoint the most significant areas of study and offer guidance for future research avenues. Our research involved querying the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database for all pertinent studies on the inflammatory microenvironment in diabetic wounds (DW). We utilized bibliometric tools such as CiteSpace, VOSviewer and R (version 4.3.1) to identify and highlight the most impactful studies in the field. The study encompassed a review of 1454 articles published from 2014 to 2023, highlighting China and the United States as pivotal nations in the research of the inflammatory microenvironment in diabetic wounds (DW). Within this sphere, the University of Michigan and Harvard University in the United States, along with Shanghai Jiaotong University in China, emerged as the most prolific institutions. WANG Y from China was identified as the most productive author, while KUNKEL SL from the United States received the most citations. The research primarily focuses on topics such as wound healing, repair processes, angiogenesis, oxidative stress and macrophage activity. Additionally, “macrophage” and “delivery” were pinpointed as the leading subjects with promising research potential in this area. Research on the inflammatory microenvironment of diabetic wounds is rapidly advancing through active international collaboration. The study of new mechanisms related to the inflammatory microenvironment and the development of novel materials for repair based on this microenvironment represent emerging fields of future research, particularly in terms of translational applications. This may offer guidance and novel perspectives for further research in the area of the diabetic wound inflammatory microenvironment.
Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU), a common intractable chronic complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), has a prevalence of up to 25%, with more than 17% of the affected patients at risk of amputation or even death. Vascular risk factors, including vascular stenosis or occlusion, dyslipidemia, impaired neurosensory and motor function, and skin infection caused by trauma, all increase the risk of DFU in patients with diabetes. Therefore, diabetic foot is not a single pathogenesis. Preclinical studies have contributed greatly to the pathogenesis determination and efficacy evaluation of DFU. Many therapeutic tools are currently being investigated using DFU animal models for effective clinical translation. However, preclinical animal models that completely mimic the pathogenesis of DFU remain unexplored. Therefore, in this review, the preparation methods and evaluation criteria of DFU animal models with three major pathological mechanisms: neuropathy, angiopathy and DFU infection were discussed in detail. And the advantages and disadvantages of various DFU animal models for clinical sign simulation. Furthermore, the current status of vitro models of DFU and some preclinical studies have been transformed into clinical treatment programs, such as medical dressings, growth factor therapy, 3D bioprinting and pre-vascularization, Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment. However, because of the complexity of the pathological mechanism of DFU, the clinical transformation of DFU model still faces many challenges. We need to further optimize the existing preclinical studies of DFU to provide an effective animal platform for the future study of pathophysiology and clinical treatment of DFU.