Evidence mapPaperPMID 41508422Full record

ArticleEndocrinology, diabetes & metabolism2026

Circular RNAs in Diabetic Foot Ulcers: A Scoping Review of Clinical, Preclinical, and In Silico Evidence on Diagnostic and Therapeutic Potentials.

Amir Reza Ghafourian, Masoomeh Hamdi, Atefeh Soltan Mohseni, Maryam Davoudi, Hamid Choobineh, Fariba Nabatchian, Reza Afrisham

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in Endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Amir Reza GhafourianDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Masoomeh HamdiDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Atefeh Soltan MohseniDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Maryam DavoudiDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Hamid ChoobinehDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Fariba NabatchianDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Reza AfrishamDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8064-118X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectiveDiabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) involve chronic inflammation, impaired angiogenesis, oxidative stress, and disrupted fibroblast-keratinocyte interactions. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a category of stable non-coding RNAs, have become essential regulators of these processes; nevertheless, their comprehensive functions in DFUs are still inadequately characterised. This scoping review integrated clinical, preclinical, and in silico evidence on circRNAs in DFUs to assess their diagnostic, mechanistic, and therapeutic potential.

methodsSystematic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were conducted on July 16, 2025, according to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Eligible papers included clinical investigations of circRNAs in the tissues of patients with DFUs, preclinical animal models assessing circRNA-based therapies, and computational predictions of circRNA-miRNA-mRNA networks. Information was collected on circRNA expression, molecular targets, clinical associations, and therapeutic effects.

resultsTwenty-two studies (7 clinical, 13 preclinical, 2 in silico) were selected. Clinical studies found hsa_circ_PRKDC, hsa_circ_072697, hsa_circ_080968, and hsa_circ_0000907 to be associated with wound severity, tissue perfusion, and keratinocyte proliferation in patients with diabetic foot ulcers. Preclinical studies showed that delivery of mmu_circHIPK3, mmu_circMYO9B, and mmu_circ_Astn1 via exosomes or nanoparticles improved angiogenesis, epithelial regeneration, and wound closure. However, the silence of mmu_circ_0005654 reduced ferroptosis and inflammation. In silico analyses identified potential regulatory axes, such as hsa_circ_0089761/miR-146a-5p/SMAD4 (Mothers against decapentaplegic homologue 4) and hsa_circ_0049271/miR-24-3p/JUNB, that were associated with inflammatory-angiogenic pathways in this disease.

conclusionsCircRNAs hold promise for the diagnosis and treatment of DFUs by modulating angiogenesis, inflammation, oxidative stress, and epithelial repair. Standard network-guided therapies are essential to translate circRNA-based strategies into clinical practice.

Indexed as

Diabetic FootRNA, CircularAnimalsComputer SimulationHumansWound HealingRNA, Circularangiogenesisbiomarkercircular RNAdiabetic foot ulcerexosomal therapyin silico networknon‐coding RNAwound healing

Identifiers

PMID41508422
PMCPMC12783694

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.