Project Archive

Abstract:

Long-term diabetic individuals can develop a medical complication called neuropathy, which is the lack of ability to feel pain caused by excessive amounts of blood glucose over time (University of Michigan Health). Eventually, this vascular damage can cause foot or leg ulcers, which slows down the healing process and causes more infection within the injured areas. Individuals can risk death or loss of a limb if the ulcers are not treated early (Oliver et al; Brennan). One of the curing methods for lower limb ulcers is to use animal skins to debride the dead skins and graft the injured areas thereby accelerating the healing process. This process is called a xenograft, which commonly uses mammalian skin grafts to cure burn wounds (Haller et al). Recently, we have seen interest in alternatives to mammalian skin grafts such as fish. This project reviews scientific research exploring the viability of fish skin grafts for treating diabetic ulcers. These studies suggest that fish skin grafting is not only successful but that fish scales may reduce risks of infection while increasing the rate of healing. Despite the shortcomings of these studies, such as the low number of experiments, the size of test groups, and the length of observation, the early results are promising and may lead to the widespread use of fish skin grafts in the future. Ultimately, further investment in and exploration of fish skin grafts could completely transform the xenograft industry.