Oxygen-Releasing Gel Shows Promise in Healing Chronic Wounds, Preventing Amputations

As aging populations and rising rates of diabetes contribute to an increase in chronic wounds, a modern oxygen-delivering gel developed by researchers at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) offers a potential breakthrough in wound healing and amputation prevention. The gel is designed to address a key factor in chronic wound development: a lack of oxygen in damaged tissue.

The Challenge of Chronic Wounds

Injuries that fail to heal for more than a month are classified as chronic wounds, affecting an estimated 12 million people globally and 4.5 million in the United States annually. Approximately one in five patients with chronic wounds may ultimately require amputation.

“Chronic wounds don’t heal by themselves,” said Iman Noshadi, UCR associate professor of bioengineering who led the research team. The healing process involves four stages – inflammation, vascularization, remodeling, and regeneration – and a consistent oxygen supply is crucial for each stage.

When oxygen cannot penetrate deeply enough into injured tissue, hypoxia occurs, disrupting the normal healing process and creating an environment conducive to bacterial growth and tissue deterioration.

How the Oxygen Gel Works

The newly developed gel is a soft, flexible material composed of water and a choline-based liquid, which is antibacterial, nontoxic, and biocompatible. When connected to a small battery – similar to those used in hearing aids – the gel functions as a miniature electrochemical device, splitting water molecules and releasing oxygen continuously.

Unlike surface-level oxygen treatments, this gel conforms to the shape of the wound, filling gaps and uneven areas where oxygen levels are typically lowest and infection risk is highest. The continuous oxygen delivery is vital, as new blood vessel formation can accept weeks, and short bursts of oxygen are insufficient for lasting repair. The system can maintain oxygen flow for up to a month, supporting a more typical healing pattern.

Promising Results in Animal Studies

Researchers tested the gel on diabetic and older mice, whose wounds closely resemble those seen in human patients. In untreated animals, injuries often failed to heal and proved fatal. However, when the oxygen-producing gel was applied and replaced weekly, wounds healed within approximately 23 days, and the animals survived.

“We could make this patch as a product where the gel may need to be renewed periodically,” said Prince David Okoro, a bioengineering doctoral candidate at UCR and co-author of the study.

Beyond Oxygen Delivery: Reducing Inflammation

The gel’s benefits may extend beyond oxygen support. Choline, a key ingredient, helps regulate immune activity and reduce excessive inflammation. Chronic wounds often exhibit high levels of reactive oxygen species, which damage cells and prolong inflammation. By providing stable oxygen while calming the inflammatory response, the gel promotes healthier tissue repair.

Future Applications

The potential applications of this technology extend beyond chronic wound care. Oxygen and nutrient shortages pose significant challenges in growing replacement tissues and organs, a long-term goal of the Noshadi laboratory.

“When the thickness of a tissue increases, it’s hard to diffuse that tissue with what it needs, so cells start dying,” Noshadi explained. “This project can be seen as a bridge to creating and sustaining larger organs for people in need of them.”

Researchers acknowledge that addressing the growing rates of chronic wounds requires a multifaceted approach, considering factors like aging, diabetes, and lifestyle.

“Our sedentary lifestyles are causing our immune responses to decrease,” said UCR bioengineer and co-author Baishali Kanjilal. “It’s hard to secure to societal roots of our problems. But this innovation represents a chance to reduce amputations, improve quality of life, and give the body what it needs to heal itself.”