Collagen-Based Wound Sealant

A new alternative for wound care is a collagen-based wound sealant that speeds wound healing by about 50%.

The material, which can be poured or injected into a wound, consists of collagen and other ingredients subjected to a polymerization process that helps bind the sealant to the wound. The material's texture resembles gelatin but is flexible, unlike gelatin. In testing, researchers found that wounds treated with the new sealant had the same amount of healing in three days as the controls had in six days, thus speeding the closure of the wound by about 50%. They believe adding other healing promoters, such as slow-release antibiotics, could also be added to the sealant. Basic fibroblast growth factor has been tested and was found to further increase the rate of wound closure in rats.

"If you've got a large, open wound, your body moves, your skin moves, your muscles flex, and if this doesn't flex with it, it simply is going to tear. This has good mechanical strength, but it also has elasticity,” said Dr. Douglas Miller, research scientist at Texas A&M University (College Station, USA), one of the scientists working on the project. "The bottom line is that collagen has been used for centuries as something to repair wounds because it is a natural component of tissue.”




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