From blueberries a possible help against difficult wounds. This is suggested by a US study that will be presented in Philadelphia at the ‘Experimental Biology 2022’, an annual meeting promoted by the American Physiological Society (Aps). According to the group led by Dorothy Klimis-Zacas of the University of Maine, a gel based on phenolic extract of wild blueberries with an antioxidant action could favor the mechanisms underlying the healing of sores, ulcers and burns, accelerating their closure.
Every year – the authors recall – more than 50 billion dollars are spent on wound care. Chronic sores, such as sores associated with uncompensated diabetes or pressure ulcers, are classified as ‘non-healing’ due to reduced vascularity that complicates closure. Previously, researchers from the same US university had discovered that a phenolic extract of wild blueberries improved vascularization and cell migration, crucial stages in the healing process, in human umbilical cord cells. The new study examined the effect of the extract, formulated as a topical gel, on live wounds in rats. Compared to laboratory animals treated with a placebo gel, rats treated with the active product showed better migration of endothelial cells towards the wound site and a 12% increase in its closure.
“Wild blueberries have the potential to improve cell migration, the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) and vascularization, and to speed wound closure – says Tolu Esther Adekeye, first author of the paper – This is particularly important in patients. with chronic wounds such as diabetic sores, burns and pressure ulcers. “