Shark Mucus Holds the Secret to Enhanced Healing
Recent research has uncovered a fascinating discovery about the healing potential of shark mucus. A collaborative study conducted by researchers from Sweden, Norway, and the United States has shed light on the distinctive chemical composition of shark mucus, which sets it apart from that of bony fish and bears striking similarities to human mucus.
Uncovering the Healing Properties
Under the leadership of Professor Jakob Wickström of the Karolinski Medical School in Sweden, the research team delved into the unique properties of shark mucus. Their analysis focused on the mucus covering the skin of the Atlantic tripe shark and the chain shark, revealing a chemical composition remarkably different from that of bony fish.
Implications for Medical Applications
The findings hold promise for the development of novel therapeutic treatments. According to Professor Wickström, the main component of shark mucus, mucin, could serve as a potential topical treatment for various wounds. This groundbreaking discovery opens avenues for harnessing the healing potential of shark mucus in the field of medicine.
Additionally, the researchers emphasized the importance of understanding the unique biology of sharks, as it could lead to further biomedical discoveries with valuable implications for human health. Previous research on sharks has already contributed to the development of a new antibiotic and provided crucial insights into the origins of cystic fibrosis.
For those interested in delving into the full details of the study, the paper can be accessed here.
The mucus of the skin is completely different from that of bony fish and is closer to human mucus.
Entered 2023.11.10 21:00 Views 0 Entered 2023.11.10 21:00 Modified 2023.11.10 16:01 View 0
It was discovered that the chemical composition of shark mucus is completely different to the mucus secreted by bony fish. [사진= 게티이미지뱅크]When fish are injured, their ability to recover is better than land creatures. Among them, sharks are known to have the most outstanding durability. A new study suggests that the secret to that resilience may lie in the thin mucus that covers sharks’ skin. The health and medicine web magazine ‘Health Day’ reported on the 8th (local time) the content of researchers from Sweden, Norway, and the United States which was recently published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
The research team, led by Professor Jakob Wickström (clinical dermatology) at the Karolinski Medical School in Sweden, hypothesized that the shark’s incredible healing power could lie in the mucus that thinly covers its rough skin. And the chemical composition of the skin mucus of the Atlantic tripe shark (Squalus acanthias) and the chain shark (Scyliorhinus retifer) was analyzed at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
According to the researchers, very little analysis has been done on the chemical composition of shark mucus. Although 99% of fish are bony, only 1% are cartilaginous, which includes sharks and whales. Therefore, the researchers explained that there has been less biochemical research on sharks compared to research on bony fish, which have great economic benefits.
The analysis revealed that the chemical composition of shark mucus is completely different to the mucus secreted by bony fish. They found that the O-glycans that form mucus are less acidic and have an almost neutral pH, making it more similar to mucus produced by mammals, including humans.
Professor Wickström said, “Mucin, the main component of shark mucus, could be developed as a topical treatment for various wounds.” The explanation is that as there is a history of developing wound healing treatments based on pollock research in the past, it is also possible to develop treatments through shark mucus research.
“Sharks are not just swimming fish, but creatures with unique biology,” he said, stressing that understanding their biology could lead to various biomedical discoveries useful to humans. The researchers said their previous work on sharks had already led to the development of a new antibiotic and some important insights into the origins of cystic fibrosis.
The paper can be viewed via the following link:
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