Swedish researchers’ discovery promises unique medicine for treatment of chronic and diabetic wounds
Behind this new medicine is a group of researchers at the Department of Medical Chemistry and Biophysics who have made the unique finding that the protein plasminogen is a regulator that initiates and hastens wound healing by triggering the inflammatory reaction. Their discovery is now being published in the highly ranked journal Blood.
“Today we have the knowledge needed to develop a medicine,” says Professor Tor Ny, one of the authors of the article. “The bulk of the preclinical research has been completed, and we have been in contact with the Medical Products Agency to discuss a program for clinical testing.”
Plasminogen is a well-known plasma protein that is produced in the liver and found in all bodily fluids. The Umeå researchers have re-evaluated its role and managed to show that the concentration of plasminogen increases dramatically in and around wounds, which is an important signal to start the inflammatory reaction required for healing. In diabetic sores the level of plasminogen does not rise in the same way, and this seems to be the reason why these sores do not heal. In mice and rats the researchers were able to show that the healing process starts immediately when plasminogen is injected into the sore, which then heals fully.
A cell line for producing plasminogen on a larger scale has also been developed, and the goal is to be able to start clinical testing as soon as funding can be arranged. The researchers have high hopes, as plasminogen is an endogenous substance that can be assumed not to produce side effects.
The need for a biological pharmaceutical for treating intractable wounds is pressing indeed. Diabetic sores that heal poorly or not at all are the most severe type of chronic sores, affecting millions of people annually. Many of the roughly 350 million diabetes patients in the world develop foot ulcers, and in 10-15 million cases this ultimately leads to amputation. Today’s treatment of diabetic ulcers consists primarily of traditional wound care, with compresses and bandages; there is no effective medication.
The Umeå researchers are initially concentrating on diabetic wounds, but the medicine has great potential for working on other types of stubborn sores. This includes damaged eardrums and periodontitis. The new pharmaceutical has moreover been shown to be helpful in combatting antibiotic-resistant bacteria (MRSA).
Reference
Yue Shen, Yongzhi Guo, Peter Mikus, Rima Sulniute, Malgorzata Wilczynska, Tor Ny, Jinan Li: Plasminogen is a key proinflammatory regulator that accelerates the healing of acute and diabetic wounds Blood. 2012 May 4. [Epub ahead of print]
For more information, please contact Professor Tor Ny: mobile: +46 (0)73-620 50 65; e-mail tor.ny@medchem.umu.se
Media Contact
All latest news from the category: Health and Medicine
This subject area encompasses research and studies in the field of human medicine.
Among the wide-ranging list of topics covered here are anesthesiology, anatomy, surgery, human genetics, hygiene and environmental medicine, internal medicine, neurology, pharmacology, physiology, urology and dental medicine.
Newest articles
Illuminating quantum magnets: Light unveils magnetic domains
Scientists visualize and control magnetic domains in quantum antiferromagnets. When something draws us in like a magnet, we take a closer look. When magnets draw in physicists, they take a…
Researchers discover new plutonium isotope
A research team led by researchers at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has synthesized a new plutonium isotope, plutonium-227. This study was published in Physical…
Let there be light: Bright future for solar panels, TV screens and more
From brighter TV screens to better medical diagnostics and more efficient solar panels, new Curtin-led research has discovered how to make more molecules stick to the surface of tiny nanocrystals,…