A multitude of microparticles and nanoparticles is developed to improve the delivery of different small drugs and large biomolecules, which are subject to several hindering biological barriers that limit their optimal biodistribution and therapeutic effects. Here, a soft, reliable, and scalable method based on compressed CO2 is reported for obtaining nanoconjugates of recombinant human epidermal growth factor and nanovesicles called quatsomes, where the latter consists of cholesterol and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. These nanoconjugates exhibit appropriate values of the major critical quality attributes of colloidal nanomedicines, such as controlled and narrow nanoscopic particle size distribution (which play important roles in determining their stability), drug loading, drug release, drug protection, targeting ability, and bioactivity. Also, they exhibit a dual action by 1) inbuilt antimicrobial activity preventing infections and 2) promoting regeneration of granulation tissue and re‐epithelialization with complete closure of complex wounds. Therefore, such nanoconjugates are a potential nanomedicine for the topical treatment of complex wounds, particularly diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers.

Topical delivery has received great attention due to its localized drug delivery, its patient compliance, and its low risk for side effects. Recent developments have focused on studying new drug delivery systems as a strategy for addressing the challenges of current topical treatments. Here we describe the advances on an innovative drug delivery platform called DELOS nanovesicles for topical drug delivery. Previously, the production of DELOS nanovesicles demonstrated potentiality for the topical treatment of complex wounds, achieving well-tolerated liquid dispersions by this route. Here, research efforts have been focused on designing these nanocarriers with the best skin tolerability to be applied even to damaged skin, and on exploring the feasibility of adapting the colloidal dispersions to a more suitable dosage form for topical application. Accordingly, these drug delivery systems have been efficiently evolved to a hydrogel using MethocelTM K4M, presenting proper stability and rheological properties. Further, the integrity of these nanocarriers when being gellified has been confirmed by cryo-transmission electron microscopy and by Förster resonance energy transfer analysis with fluorescent-labeled DELOS nanovesicles, which is a crucial characterization not widely reported in the literature. Additionally, in vitro experiments have shown that recombinant human Epidermal Growth Factor (rhEGF) protein integrated into gellified DELOS nanovesicles exhibits an enhanced bioactivity compared to the liquid form. Therefore, these studies suggest that such a drug delivery system is maintained unaltered when hydrogellified, becoming the DELOS nanovesicles-based hydrogels, an advanced formulation for topical use.

In article number 2000260, Jaume Veciana, Nora Ventosa and co‐workers report a soft, reliable, and scalable method based on compressed CO2 for obtaining nanoconjugates of recombinant human epidermal growth factors and nanovesicles. These nanoconjugates exhibit appropriate physicochemical properties together with an antimicrobial activity preventing infections that promote complete closure of complex wounds. Therefore, such nanoconjugates are a potential nanomedicine for the topical treatment of complex wounds, particularly diabetic foot ulcers.