<p>Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a serious and recurring issue for those with diabetes mellitus, often leading to high rates of complications, amputations, and even death. Traditional treatments frequently struggle due to ongoing infections, poor blood flow, and chronic inflammation. This review discusses recent developments in curcumin-based nanotechnology, particularly focusing on hydrogel delivery systems for managing DFUs. Curcumin is known for its strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties, making it an attractive treatment option. However, its low solubility and bioavailability can be a hurdle. Researchers have seen better bioavailability and targeted delivery by incorporating curcumin into nanocarrier systems like liposomes, nanofibers, and solid lipid nanoparticles. Hydrogels enhance these systems by providing a moist environment, being biocompatible, and allowing for controlled release. The combination of curcumin-loaded nanocarriers and hydrogel matrices has shown impressive preclinical healing rates of nearly 99.76% within just 18&#xa0;days. Despite promising results, clinical translation faces challenges like formulation consistency, large-scale bioavailability and regulatory challenges. This review also covers recent in vivo studies, the mechanisms behind hydrogel-curcumin interactions, regulatory challenges, toxicity concerns, and future innovations like AI-personalised wound therapy and 3D-bioprinted scaffolds. Curcumin nanohydrogel platforms are on the brink of becoming a clinically promising platform in the management of chronic wounds.</p> Graphical Abstract <p>Mechanistic overview of curcumin-loaded nanohydrogel platforms for DFU healing.</p> <p></p>