New research finds way for wounds to heal without scars

Jan 22 2008

Scientists in Britain have found a way to make wounds can heal faster and reduce scarring.

The researchers from Bristol University believe their discovery has major implications not just for wound victims, but also for people who suffer organ tissue damage through illness or abdominal surgery.

The new research has revealed that by suppressing one of the genes that normally switches on in wound cells, wounds heal faster and any scarring is reduced.

It seems that when skin is damaged a blood clot forms and cells underneath the wound start to repair the damage, which leads to scarring; this is a natural part of tissue repair.

The scarring is usually most obvious where skin has healed after a cut or burn and can range from a trivial wound such as a grazed knee to chronic damage such as a diabetic leg ulcer which is not limited to the skin.

Experts say all tissues scar as they repair, alcohol-induced liver damage leads to fibrosis and liver failure, and following most abdominal surgeries scars often lead to major complications.

When tissue is damaged an inflammatory response is triggered by the blood's white cells to protect the skin from infection and these same white cells guide the production of layers of collagen which help the wound heal.

These layers of collagen stand out from the surrounding skin and result in scarring.

According to Professor Paul Martin and his colleagues they have found that when a gel is applied, osteopontin (OPN), one of the genes that triggers scarring is suppressed and the wound heals faster with less scarring.

The researchers say it does this in part by increasing the regeneration of blood vessels around the wound and speeding up tissue reconstruction.

Professor Martin says they hope that before too long before such therapies will be available, as the technique for suppressing OPN to reduce scarring is currently being licensed and patented by a Biotech company specializing in wound-healing therapies.

In earlier research Professor Martin's team and others discovered that embryos of many species, including humans, heal wounds without leaving a scar.

The findings are published this week in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.