Antimicrobial Polymeric Wafers for Diabetic Wound Healing: A Comparative Review of Polymer Composition, Porosity, Drug Delivery and Therapeutic Function

Abstract

Diabetic foot ulcers are chronic wounds where high blood sugar, bacterial infection poor blood vessel
growth and long‑lasting inflammation together slow healing [1–3]. The literature shows that
antimicrobial drug‑loaded polymeric wafers are porous freeze‑dried and can soak up wound fluid while
giving medicine right to the wound [4,5]. This review looks at the polymeric wafer systems and related
hydrogel, nanofibre and nanocomposite platforms in the source focusing on polymer type, porosity,
crosslinking, drying method, antimicrobial approach and how drug is released. Calcium alginate, sodium
alginate–gelatin, HPMC/ethyl cellulose/PVP, xanthan gum, CMC, chitosan, carrageenan, pectin and
PLGA wafers show that the way the wafer is made controls how it hydrates and how drug comes out
[10,11,16–26]. Antimicrobial strategies go from antibiotics to antimicrobial peptides, metal ions and
systems that respond to the wound environment [1–6,15]. Often multifunctional wafers bring together
antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti‑inflammatory and pro‑angiogenic actions [7,9,12–15]. Even though
preclinical data look good moving wafers to clinic needs checks of stability, safety, biocompatibility and
real‑world effectiveness.