Scientists have developed a new way to help wounds heal faster using gold and red wine.
It combines the anti-inflammatory effects of the precious metal with the high levels of antioxidants (disease-fighting molecules found in many plants, including grapes) from pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon red wine.
Researchers at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa developed a mixture of the two that, during laboratory tests, helped serious wounds heal almost completely in just 72 hours.
Around 3.8 million patients a year receive treatment for wounds on the NHS.
Wounds that do not heal within three months are classified as chronic; they remain stuck in the inflammatory phase of the repair process, rather than progressing to the remodeling phase, where new tissue grows over the damaged area.
Researchers at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa developed a mixture of the two that, during laboratory tests, helped serious wounds heal almost completely in just 72 hours (file image)
Researchers in South Africa studied the use of gold to kick-start the healing process, as it is known to reduce inflammation and does not react with the body’s tissues or cells (file image)
It combines the anti-inflammatory effects of the precious metal with the high levels of antioxidants (disease-fighting molecules found in many plants, including grapes) from pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon red wine (file image)
Around 3.8 million patients a year receive treatment for wounds on the NHS (file image)
Chronic wounds are common in diseases such as diabetes as a result of poor blood circulation. This increases the risk of infections which, in extreme cases, can lead to amputation of a limb.
Researchers in South Africa looked at using gold to kick-start the healing process, as it is known to reduce inflammation and does not react with the body’s tissues or cells.
Gold particle injections to relieve joint inflammation were one of the main treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (where the immune system attacks healthy joints) for many decades in the UK, until effective drugs came along.
Meanwhile, red grapes are rich in antioxidants like resveratrol, which has previously been shown to speed healing by blocking the effects of free radicals (damaging compounds that can slow tissue repair by disrupting oxygen supply).
The research team purchased three bottles of red wine made from popular grape varieties and dried samples in an oven. The extracts were then mixed with chloroauric acid, a chemical that contains gold atoms.
Gold particle injections to relieve joint inflammation were one of the main treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (in which the immune system attacks healthy joints) for many decades in the UK, until effective drugs became available.
Chronic wounds are common in diseases such as diabetes as a result of poor blood circulation (file image)
The researchers then took a lab dish containing human skin cells and made a scratch in the middle to mimic a wound, and added the gold mixture.
After 72 hours, the “wound” treated with pinot noir and gold had closed by more than 80 percent, compared with only 50 percent in samples treated with wine alone, the journal Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology reported.
Cells treated with Cabernet Sauvignon extract and gold performed better: wounds closed almost 100 percent within 72 hours.
Stella Vig, a consultant vascular surgeon at Croydon University Hospital, said: ‘This use[of red wine]is novel, as is the combination of technologies to produce gold nanoparticles.
‘Both silver and gold nanoparticles may play an important role in reducing wound infections.’
Dr Ahmed Osman, a senior researcher from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast, added: “These gold particles promote cell growth and enhance the skin’s natural healing process.”