Here is a technology of high practical use from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. The technology is for producing wound dressings that release Nitric oxide, which helps in faster healing.
Nitric oxide plays an important role in healing of wounds. Delay in wound healing, apart from causing distress to the injured, also results in infection. Some people, especially those with diabetes, do not produce enough
Nitric oxide by themselves, and they suffer. But Nitric oxide could be supplied from the dressing.
BARC’s wound dressing has shown excellent anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activity. “The dressing promotes angiogenesis, which helps in graft acceptance in the wound-bed,” says BARC. In addition, the dressing contains a collagen, which is a protein that gives tensile strength to the skin and hence plays a key role in wound healing. It attracts cells such as fibroblasts and keratinocytes to the wound, encourages angiogenesis and re-epithelialization. The collagen provides a natural scaffold or substrate for new tissue growth.
The dressing is useful for chronic infected wounds and non-healing wounds such as diabetic foot, pressure ulcer, venous stasis wound, etc., can be stored at ambient temperature and humidity conditions for two years and is inexpensive to manufacture. It is also useful in skin graft surgery.
For further details, contact:
Head
Technology Transfer and Collaboration Division
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre,
Trombay, Mumbai 400 –085
