New method found to treat burns without leaving scars

December 15, 2015 17:55

Scientists have discovered a protein that offers new hope for patients with severe burns.

It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of burn victims suffer each year, many of whom are so severe that surgical intervention is required.

But despite the best efforts of doctors, most cases leave certain sequelae, from burn scars, body deformities, and even disabilities.

However, researchers have just discovered a new cell signaling receptor, bringing hope to victims suffering from “fire damage”.

This signaling pathway helps the victim increase the ability to regenerate hair follicles, fur, and skin cells. Supplements reduce the possibility of scarring.

 Niềm hi vọng mới cho các nạn nhân bị sẹo bỏng
New hope for burn scar victims.
“Many people don’t realize that hair follicles are all over our bodies, even in areas that don’t have hair,” says Luis Garza, MD, a dermatologist at Johns Hopkins University.

When we look at our face in the mirror, all the skin we see is actually covered with tiny hair follicles. The presence of hair follicles is what makes a normal face different from a scarred face.”

To come to a conclusion, experts conducted experiments on two groups of mice. One group showed a much better ability to restore skin and fur when injured than the other group.

When analyzing the genes, scientists determined that the receptor that mediates gene signaling in this group was three times larger than in the group of mice that recovered less well.

They found that a protein called TLR3 is responsible for stimulating skin and hair repair.

This protein is a receptor that binds to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), which identifies damage and activates the immune system. The TLR3 protein affects two genes: IL6 and STAT3, two genes that help the body repair wounds.

ARN mạch kép
Double stranded RNA.

Additionally, TLR3 also activates molecules responsible for hair growth, along with the EDAR gene, which is important for skin repair.

The researchers then looked at the effects of TLR3 from scratched human skin. They found that TLR3 was five times more abundant in scratched skin than in healthy skin.

In another experiment in mice, increasing the amount of dsRNA in mice with scratched skin also significantly increased the number of restored hair follicles.

Garza explains that hair follicles are where blood vessels, nerves, and cells connect to the skin.

The hypothesis is that by creating new hair follicles, we can boost these factors, helping to synthesize new skin at a faster rate. This could make the burn wound look more like normal skin.

Scientists are working with pharmaceutical companies to identify compounds that activate TLR3, and they are now very close to doing so. However, this process will take many years of research before it can be applied to humans.

According to Soha