8/8/2023 0 Comments Fish skin for burn victims![]() ![]() One of the most recent approaches in xenografting has been using acellular fish skin grafts for treating burn wounds, diabetic foot ulcers and other deep dermal full thickness wounds, harvested from two major species- the Nile Tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus) and the North Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua) (Luze et al., 2022). To solve these issues, xenografting is emerging as a novel tool. In addition to the lack of donor skin availability and its higher cost, it may also lead to other complications such as surgical morbidity or infections at the donor site (Luze et al., 2022). Skin grafts promote proliferation of host cells at the injury site, act as a temporary barrier, and provide antimicrobial properties and thus performing better than traditional dressings. However, skin grafting is not as easy as it sounds. Skin grafts are emerging as an effective treatment option for deep dermal and full thickness wounds, particularly in burn wounds and diabetic ulcers, to help better healing and avoid infection and sepsis. Similarly, burn wounds have also continued to pose challenges in wound healing management due to their complex and long-lasting process. You can imagine that here the healing process gets halted in the inflammatory phase. ![]() However, it is not so in the case of immune-compromised patients who are prone to chronic infection, which are often resistant to common antibiotics. This is due to skin’s natural ability to heal through a cascade of healing events: homeostasis, inflammation, proliferation, re-epithelialization, and remodeling. A healthy individual with minor injuries heals his/her wounds quickly without any additional treatment. Meanwhile, the German pharmaceutical company Birken AG–now owned by Amryt Pharma–is currently developing a gel made from birch bark extract to treat wounds.Skin, being the first barrier and line of defense against the external environment, is constantly exposed to mechanical and pathogenic insults. Research also suggests that using fish skin in burn treatment could reduce hospital costs by up to 60 percent. Preclinical studies found that fish skin had a higher resistance and greater stretch ability than pig skin. However, the researchers found that due to its healing properties, patients with burns that needed repeat consultations now request fish skin bandages. “The major concerns were whether the skins would subsequently come off, if the fish odor would remain.” (Credit: Reuters/Paulo Whitaker)įelipe Rocher, a researcher on the team that carried out the research from the Federal University of Ceara in Brazil, said that initially the patients were frightened by the idea of using the fish skin on their body. Scales are removed, but their pattern remains. It is processed with a patented method and sterilized before use. The fish skin contains large amounts of moisture and a type of collagen protein at comparable levels to human skin, which the researchers said prevented scarring and promoted healing. Over 300 patients have used the treatment. The method has been patented and is now being used in hospitals around the world. Leading dermatologists are advising the use of sustainable fish skin to treat burns as a clinical trial in Brazil found that tilapia skin is more effective than standard burn bandages. Doctors are using bark, fish skin and other natural products to treat burns and wounds as research suggests they could be better than synthetic bandages. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |