Glass Fiber Wadding Speeds Healing in Wounds

A wad of absorbable borate glass nanofibers helps heal wounds by simultaneously slowing bleeding, fighting pathogens, and stimulating the body's natural healing mechanisms.

Researchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (MS&T; Rolla, USA) developed the borate glass composition, called 13-93B3 glass, which can be formed into cottony glass fibers 300 nm to 5 μm in diameter. After animal tests showed no adverse effects, a license to the material was purchased by Mo-Sci (Rolla, MO, USA), who renamed the material to DermaFuse. They then approached the Phelps County Regional Medical Center (PCRMC; Rolla, MO, USA) to start a small-scale human trial involving 13 volunteer venous stasis wound sufferers.


Mo-Sci provided PCRMC with individual, foil-sealed packets containing Dermafuse pads made of the glass calcium-embedded fibers, which can be formed into different shapes and packed into the wound crevices, which are then covered with a secondary covering or compression wrap. After using the glass fiber wadding for several months, the researchers were able to repair the skin wounds in eight of the patients, and improve the wounds in the other participants. The researchers acknowledged that the wounds would have probably healed without the glass wadding, but they would have required expensive vacuum-assisted healing systems that must be carried by patients at all times. An article detailing the study was published in the May 2011 issue of the American Ceramic Society (ACS) Bulletin.

"Investigators have reported that calcium is important for wound healing. It appears to assist the migration of epidermal cells and help the body regulate the healing process of open wounds,” said glass scientist Steve Jung, PhD, who developed the product at MS&T. "We thought it might be advantageous to have a material that could mimic the microstructure of fibrin that forms the basis of a blood clot. We reasoned that if the structure could imitate fibrin, it might trap blood platelets and allow the formation of a wound cover that could support the healing process.”

Venous stasis is a condition where blood circulation in extremities is poor; as the blood pools, typically in lower legs, fluids accumulate causing unusual pressure on skin tissues. Sores and wounds can then develop when the fluid "weeps" from skin cracks, cuts, or abrasions. Due to an enzyme in the weeping fluid, the skin surrounding small venous stasis injuries can quickly erode and turn into large and deep wounds; even small bruises can eventually develop into bone-deep openings.

Related Links:
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Mo-Sci
Phelps County Regional Medical Center