Antimicrobial drug derived from tree sap could treat chronic wounds

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An antibiotic derived from the Australian tree has shown promise for treating chronic wounds in animal tests.

Poor circulation and other symptoms of diabetes can lead to chronic wounds. Seven percent of the adult population in the UK have chronic wounds, and more than a quarter of people with diabetes have a type of chronic wound. The wounds have a high risk of infections.

Keeping the wound clean and using antibiotics are some of the ways they are treated. Doctors want to reduce the use of antibiotics in order to stop the growth of antibiotic- resistantbacteria.

David Thomas and his colleagues investigated compounds from the blushwood tree, which is found in Australia. Potential cancer treatments have been studied by researchers.

The molecule EBC 1013 was identified as a promising candidate by Thomas and his colleagues. The dairy calves and mice were used to model diabetes with chronic wounds. All dairy calves have their horns taken off.

75 per cent of the wounds healed after 28 days in the calves that were treated with EBC 1013. In the mice, complete wound healing was observed in five of the seven animals studied.

The researchers believe the drug works by inducing skin healing and by targetingbacterial communities in the wound.

A sticky mesh is formed bybacteria in wounds. Chronic wounds are difficult to treat because of the aggregations' resistance to antibiotics. The structure of the biofilm was disrupted by the new treatment.

According to Thomas, the drug could be used by itself or in conjunction with antibiotics at a lower dose.

Drugs for chronic wounds fail in human trials because many people are older and have other health problems.

Matthew Hardman is a researcher at the University of Hull, UK. The next challenge will be to show that the findings can be used in the clinic to treat chronic, non-healing wounds.

The journal is called Science Translational Medicine.