Chinese scientists have developed a natural biological glue based on snail mucus that can be used to heal traumatic injuries and chronic wounds, reports Xinhua.

Land snails and the mucus they produce have been used to treat burns, abscesses, and wounds for over 2,000 years. Inspired by this ancient therapy, researchers from the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered a natural biological glue in the secretions of snails, writes Agerpres.

Researchers evaluated its adhesive properties for wound healing both in vitro – in a controlled environment, outside a living organism – and in vivo – on the tissue of a living organism.

According to a study recently published in the journal Nature Communications, the glue derived from snail mucus contains a plastic adhesive matrix that can adhere to wet tissue through multiple interactions.

The obtained hydrogel effectively accelerated the healing of skin lesions, both in healthy male mice and in mice with diabetes.

According to the study, hydrogel can also reduce inflammation in chronic wounds and significantly improve regeneration.

The researchers noted that the obtained data could be important for the development of adhesives for next-generation biological tissues, as well as for “building” models in the field of bioengineering. (Photo source: Dreamstime)