Anti-inflammatory Glycosylated Flavonoids as Therapeutic Agents for Treatment of Diabetes-Impaired Wounds

Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects more than 387 million people worldwide. About 20% of patients diagnosed with diabetes develop diabetic foot ulcerations (DFU). Standard treatment of DFU includes wound debridement, infection control, revascularization and, in general, the acceleration of the healing process. Topical ointments containing flavonoids exert beneficial effects in wound healing process. Flavonoids increase the migration and proliferation of fibroblasts and collagen synthesis. Furthermore, most flavonoids exert antibacterial and astringent activities that help in infection control. Additionally, flavonoids possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities reducing the reactive oxygen species and modulating the inflammatory pathways, respectively. Bioactivity of flavonoids can vary according to source, chemical structure and glycosylation pattern. In summary, topical application of flavonoids reduces epithelialization and wound closure time of DFU in diabetic patients.