Molecule in human saliva has potential for wound healing

"These findings open new alternatives to better understand the biology underlying the differences between oral and skin wound healing," said Vicente A. Torres, Ph.D., associate professor at the Institute for Research in Dental Sciences within the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Chile in Santiago, Chile. "We believe that the study could help the design of better approaches to improve wound healing in tissues other than the mouth."

The study involved experiments at three levels: (1) endothelial, or blood vessel-forming, cells in culture, (2) chicken embryos as animal models, and (3) saliva samples obtained from healthy donors. Using these three models, histatin-1 and saliva were found to increase blood vessel formation. Researchers are now taking the next step in this line of study using these molecules to generate materials and implants to aid in wound healing.

"The clear results of the present study open a wide door to a therapeutic advance. They also bring to mind the possible meaning of animals, and often children, 'licking their wounds,'" said Thoru Pederson, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal.