Multidrug resistance in Gram-negative bacteria has become a significant global public health challenge, threatening human health and clinical treatment outcomes. The unique outer membrane structure of these pathogens greatly limits antibiotic penetration, serving as the core mechanism of resistance. This paper systematically analyses antimicrobial strategies targeting the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, mainly including: (1) directly disrupting the outer membrane structure and enhancing drug permeability; (2) inhibiting the biosynthesis or transport pathways of key outer membrane components; (3) using natural pathways to facilitate drug entry into the cell; (4) inhibiting efflux pumps to block efflux functions; (5) optimizing the physicochemical properties of drugs to enhance outer membrane permeability and using nanotechnology to develop new drug delivery systems. In recent years, BAM complex inhibitors like darobactin and xenorceptides have efficiently blocked the assembly of outer membrane proteins through a novel mechanism and exhibited excellent broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. Iron carrier-conjugated drugs like cefiderocol have also successfully transitioned to clinical use, showing significant efficacy in treating infections caused by various multidrug-resistant bacteria. Despite promising strategies targeting the outer membrane, drug development faces challenges, such as poor selectivity, potential toxicity, and evolving resistance mechanisms. Future research must delve deeper into the biosynthesis and regulatory mechanisms of the outer membrane, aiming to develop more selective and safer innovative antimicrobial drugs and delivery systems to effectively combat the growing threat of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections.

Chronic wounds, including diabetic ulcers (DUs), radiation-induced ulcers, and burns, present significant clinical challenges due to their distinct pathological mechanisms, necessitating tailored therapeutic strategies. Diabetic ulcers, characterized by impaired angiogenesis, persistent inflammation, and hyperglycemia, require dual modulation of inflammatory (NF-κB) and pro-repair (PI3K/Akt, Nrf2) pathways. Radiation ulcers involve DNA damage, NLRP3-driven inflammation, and TGF-β/Smad-mediated fibrosis, while burns trigger acute inflammation via DAMPs/PAMPs-TLR/NLR activation. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and its bioactive components, such as Scutellaria baicalensis, curcumin, and Panax notoginseng, exhibit multi-target therapeutic effects by regulating oxidative stress, inflammation, angiogenesis, and extracellular matrix remodeling through key pathways, including Nrf2/ARE, MAPK, NF-κB, PI3K/Akt, HIF-1α/VEGF, Wnt/β-catenin, and TGF-β/Smad. Emerging supramolecular self-assembled biomaterials—nanofibrous scaffolds, hydrogels, and microneedles—address the hydrophobicity and low bioavailability of natural plant-derived macromolecules (NPHMs), enabling spatiotemporally controlled drug delivery. Innovative formulations, such as curcumin-loaded hydrogels and exosome-based systems, enhance antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and pro-angiogenic activities, accelerating wound closure. Despite progress, challenges remain in optimizing multifunctional co-assembly systems, elucidating NPHM self-assembly mechanisms, and developing smart biomaterials responsive to dynamic wound microenvironments. Future research should focus on clinical translation by improving material stability, refining stimulus-responsive release systems, and integrating interdisciplinary insights from herbal medicine, nanotechnology, and regenerative biology. This review systematically summarizes the mechanistic roles of TCM in wound healing, highlights advancements in bioactive material design, and outlines future directions to bridge traditional knowledge with modern therapeutic innovations, offering a scientific foundation for advancing chronic wound management.

Natural polyphenols may have a role in counteracting oxidative stress, which is associated with aging and several bone-related diseases. Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound formed by the esterification of caffeic and quininic acids with osteogenic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. This review discusses the potential of CGA to enhance osteogenesis by increasing the osteogenic capacity of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), osteoblast survival, proliferation, differentiation, and mineralization, as well as its ability to attenuate osteoclastogenesis by enhancing osteoclast apoptosis and impeding osteoclast regeneration. CGA can be involved in bone remodeling by acting directly on pro-osteoclasts/osteoblasts or indirectly on osteoclasts by activating the nuclear factor kB (RANK)/RANK ligand (RANKL)/acting osteoprotegerin (OPG) system. Finally, we provide perspectives for using CGA to treat bone diseases.

Terahertz (THz) technology, known for its non-invasive, label-free, and high-resolution imaging capabilities, has shown transformative potential in biomedical applications. The present review highlights its critical role in cancer detection, wound healing monitoring, drug delivery assessment, and tissue engineering, focusing on its sensitivity to molecular dynamics and hydration variations. Significant advancements include precise tumor margin identification, real-time tissue hydration evaluation during wound healing, and biomaterial characterization for regenerative medicine. Nevertheless, challenges such as limited penetration depth and system costs hinder its broader clinical adoption. Emerging solutions, including multimodal integration, portable systems, and AI-enhanced analytics, can address these limitations, paving the way for personalized medicine. Future advancements are expected to expand the role of THz technology in diagnostics and therapeutics, bridging research and clinical practice. THz imaging (THI) represents a promising frontier in healthcare, offering innovative tools for next-generation diagnostic and therapeutic solutions.

With the increase in population aging, the tendency of osteochondral injury will be accelerated, and repairing materials are increasingly needed for the optimization of the regenerative processes in bone and cartilage recovery. The local environment of the injury sites and the deficiency of Mg²⁺ retards the repairing period via inhibiting the progenitor osteogenesis and chondrogenesis cells’ recruitment, proliferation, and differentiation, which results in the sluggish progress in the osteochondral repairing materials design. In this article, we elucidate the Mg²⁺-concentration specified effect on the cell proliferation, osteochondral gene expression, and differentiation of modeling chondrocytes (extracted from New Zealand white rabbit) and osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1). The concentration of Mg²⁺ in the culture medium affects the proliferation, chondrogenesis, and osteogenesis: (i) Appropriate concentrations of Mg²⁺ promote the proliferation of chondrocytes (1.25–10.0 mM) and MC3T3-E1 cells (2.5–30.0 mM); (ii) the optimal concentration of Mg²⁺ that promotes the gene expression of noncalcified cartilage is 15 mM, calcified cartilage 10 mM, and subchondral bone 5 mM, respectively; (iii) overdosed Mg²⁺ leads to the inhibition of cell activity for either chondrocytes (>20 mM) or osteoblasts (>30 mM). The biomimetic elucidation for orchestrating the allocation of gradient concentration of Mg²⁺ in accordance of the physiological condition is crucial for designing the accurate microenvironment in osteochondral injury defects for optimization of bone and cartilage repairing materials in the future.

Restricted mouth opening (trismus) is one of the most common complications following head and neck cancer treatment. Early initiation of mouth-opening exercises is crucial for preventing or minimizing trismus. Current methods for these exercises predominantly involve finger exercises and traditional mouth-opening training devices. Our research group successfully designed an intelligent mouth-opening training device (IMOTD) that addresses the limitations of traditional home training methods, including the inability to quantify mouth-opening exercises, a lack of guided training resulting in temporomandibular joint injuries, and poor training continuity leading to poor training effect. For this device, an interactive remote guidance mode is introduced to address these concerns. The device was designed with a focus on the safety and effectiveness of medical devices. The accuracy of the training data was verified through piezoelectric sensor calibration. Through mechanical analysis, the stress points of the structure were identified, and finite element analysis of the connecting rod and the occlusal plate connection structure was conducted to ensure the safety of the device. The findings support the effectiveness of the intelligent device in rehabilitation through preclinical experiments when compared with conventional mouth-opening training methods. This intelligent device facilitates the quantification and visualization of mouth-opening training indicators, ensuring both the comfort and safety of the training process. Additionally, it enables remote supervision and guidance for patient training, thereby enhancing patient compliance and ultimately ensuring the effectiveness of mouth-opening exercises.