Study Shows How Sweat Glands Could Help Heal Skin Injuries

A team of researchers have claimed that sweat gland stem cells could heal skin wounds. The glands can also help regenerate all layers of the epidermis, say scientists.

USC faculty member Krzysztof Kobielak and his team used a system to make all of the sweat gland cells in a mouse easy to spot: labeling them with green fluorescent protein (GFP), which is visible under ultraviolet light.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) or Acne Inversa is severe form of chronic acne of the sweat glands which produce a scent or odor and are located in the armpit, groin or ano-genital area. Although till recently there was no cure but some advances is helping science find a cure for it.

Over time, the GFP became dimmer as it was diluted among dividing sweat gland cells. After four weeks, the only cells that remained fluorescent were the ones that did not divide or divided very slowly - a known property among stem cells of certain tissues, including the hair follicle and cornea.

Therefore, these slow-dividing, fluorescent cells in the sweat gland's coiled lower region were likely also stem cells.

Then, the first author of this paper, graduate student Yvonne Leung, tested whether these fluorescent cells could do what stem cells do best - differentiate into multiple cell types.

Scientists Discover How Wounds Are Healed With The Help Of Special Immune Cells in Skin
An important process by which special immune cells in the skin help heal wounds was found by the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) scientists.

To the researchers' surprise, these glowing cells generated not only sweat glands, but also hair follicles when placed in the skin of a mouse without GFP.

The study has been published in journal Public Library of Science One (PLOS ONE).

Scientists Design Super-grip Plaster to Help Heal Surgical Wounds
In the US, scientists have designed a super-grip plaster, which is covered with microscopic needles, to heal surgical wounds.

Source-ANI

Quiz on Stem Cells
Scientists believe (and are working hard) to use stem cells in the future to treat a wide range of diseases and injuries. But what exactly is a stem cell? How can it be used in curing disorders? See if you get your answers from this quiz.