When tested in mice, use of blueberry extract showed improvement in formation of blood vessel and increase in healing time of wound
Blueberries have various benefits for human health, for a long time now these berries proved to slow down the progression of memory loss. Now a team of scientists from the University of Maine found that a compound found in blueberries could also be used for healing chronic wounds such as skin pressure ulcers related to diabetes. When tested in mice, this compound was found to improve formation of blood vessels and improve healing time of wounds.
When blood vessel grow into a wound, it heals properly. This growth process of blood vessels provide nutrients to the injured tissue and is called as vascularization. However, in chronic wounds such as pressure ulcers related to diabetes, vascularization takes place in a very small amount, due to which these kind of injuries heal very slowly and sometimes even develop severe infections.
Thus, the scientists used antioxidants found in blueberries know as phenols that were found to boost vascularization and migration of cells in cells of human umbilical cord, in a past study. Based on these findings, the scientists used a topical gel having a phenolic extract of a wild blueberry, to treat skin wounds in mice. When compared with control group of animals, the phenol extract group exhibited increased wound closure by 12% after six days of the treatment. Moreover, the cell migration of endothelial cells to the wound site also increased. Endothelial cells create walls of blood vessels and regulate compound exchange between surrounding tissues and bloodstream.
As per the team, wild blueberries can improve cell migration, formation of new blood vessel, vascularization and can increase speed of wound closure. These characteristics are important due to which it can be used for treating conditions where enhanced wound closure is required.