New gel made from rose petals can heal diabetic wounds

Technology Sep 27, 2025

Scientists from Shiv Nadar University and IIT Bhilai have developed a new hydrogel made from rose petals and carbon dots.
This natural, budget-friendly dressing could help heal diabetic wounds—which affect about 15% of people with diabetes—faster, lowering the risk of infection and amputation.

How the gel works

The gel is flexible and adapts to different wound shapes.
Rose-petal vesicles boost skin regrowth and blood vessel repair, while carbon dots target harmful bacteria like E. coli but leave healthy cells alone.

No scarring or toxicity in healed skin

In diabetic rats, wounds treated with this gel closed up to 70% faster and had almost no harmful bacteria left.
The healed skin was smooth, with no scarring or toxicity—even when the animals moved around.