Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Oct 6, 2025; 13(28): 109358
Published online Oct 6, 2025. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i28.109358
Effective application of an innovative acemannan-enriched glycolipid sphere dressing in diabetic foot ulcer wound healing: A case report and review of literature
Shu-Ting Mei, Jie-Jing Li
Shu-Ting Mei, Department of Clinical, Guangzhou Oriplamacy Technology Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510000, Guangdong Province, China
Jie-Jing Li, Department of Research, Guangzhou Oriplamacy Technology Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510000, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: Mei ST contributed to manuscript writing and editing, and data collection; Li JJ contributed to conceptualization and supervision; both authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jie-Jing Li, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Research, Guangzhou Oriplamacy Technology Co., Ltd., No. 918 Middle Guangzhou Avenue, Guangzhou 510000, Guangdong Province, China. jiejingli@ext.jnu.edu.cn
Received: May 9, 2025
Revised: June 16, 2025
Accepted: July 15, 2025
Published online: October 6, 2025
Processing time: 91 Days and 5.6 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Aloe vera has been used as a traditional herbal therapy for wound management and dermatological conditions worldwide for thousands of years. Scientific evidence has confirmed that acemannan, the bioactive compound in aloe vera gel, exhibits significant anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties that enhance tissue regeneration. This case report describes the successful application of an innovative acemannan-enriched glycolipid sphere dressing derived from aloe vera gel in diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) treatment, which achieved a clinically remarkable outcome.

CASE SUMMARY

An 80-year-old female patient with a 20-year history of type 2 diabetes mellitus experienced recurrent diabetic foot pain for 15 years. She had multiple hospitalizations due to acute infections and poorly controlled hyperglycemia. Long-term treatments included metformin and gliclazide. Upon presentation, she had a nonhealing wound on her left dorsal foot, diagnosed as a severe DFU (Texas classification: Grade II, stage D). She declined amputation and opted for conservative treatment. The medical team applied an acemannan-enriched glycolipid sphere dressing five times daily to the left calf and foot, avoiding the wound area. Frequency was reduced to three times daily after scab formation. Weight-bearing on the injured foot was avoided. Through in-person and online consultations, the team managed her lifestyle and diet, emphasizing natural foods. After 5 months, the DFU healed without significant scarring or functional loss. No recurrence was observed during the 2-year follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Acemannan-enriched glycolipid sphere dressings promote DFU healing. This suggests the potential of these dressings for treating other refractory wounds.

Keywords: Acemannan; Diabetic foot ulcer; Wound healing; Aloe vera; Glycolipid sphere dressing; Case report

Core Tip: This study reports the successful use of an acemannan-enriched glycolipid sphere dressing derived from aloe vera gel for treating a severe diabetic foot ulcer (DFU). An 80-year-old female with long-standing type 2 diabetes mellitus, presented with a nonhealing DFU (Texas classification: Grade II, stage D). Treatment involved applying the dressing five times daily, later reduced to three times after scab formation, alongside lifestyle management. Complete healing occurred within 5 months without significant scarring or functional loss, and no recurrence was observed during two years of follow-up. This case highlights the potential of acemannan-enriched dressings for DFU and other refractory wound treatments.