Yet another win for aspirin, and this time in regards to something medicine considers next to impossible to treat – i.e. ionizing radiation-induced skin wounds. Aside from the known genotoxic effects of radiation, the latter can also cause severe skin burns that are very slow to heal and often become chronic, unhealing wounds subject to infection that can easily become life-threatening. The study below demonstrates that a simple mix of aspirin and glycopeptides (which can probably be closely approximated with a water solution of gelatin and sugar) significantly accelerated the healing of radiation-induced wounds. The same mix/solution would probably be a great remedy for preventing/treating sunburns, which are mostly triggered by the UV radiaion in sunlight, so they are a milder version of the radiation-induced wounds used in the study.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.4c00698
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/08/240812123241.htm
“…Glycopeptide-based hydrogels are especially promising: In laboratory and animal studies, the nanofiber structures have promoted cellular growth and regulated cell adhesion and migration. A research team led by Jiamin Zhang, Wei Wang, Yumin Zhang and Jianfeng Liu proposed loading aspirin, a common anti-inflammatory drug, into a glycopeptide-based hydrogel to create a multifunctional wound dressing for radiation-induced skin injuries. In lab tests with cultured cells, the researchers found that the aspirin-contained hydrogel scavenged reactive oxygen species, repaired DNA double-strand breaks and inhibited inflammation caused by radiation exposure without affecting cellular growth. In mouse models of radiation-induced skin injury, the researchers found that dressing wounds for three weeks with the salve reduced acute injuries and accelerated healing — results that the team says point to its potential as an easy-to-administer, on-demand treatment option for reducing radiation damage and promoting healing in humans.”
