Biomaterial from fungal extract helps heal wounds

What is the News?

Scientists have developed a new biomaterial that can be used to disinfect wounds and hastens the process of healing.

What is Biomaterial?

A biomaterial is a substance that has been engineered to interact with biological systems for a medical purpose, either a therapeutic or a diagnostic one.

What type of Biomaterial have the scientists developed?

Scientists have developed a biomaterial derived from the polymer pullulan which is secreted by the fungus Aureobasidium pullulans.

Note: Aureobasidium pullulan is an exopolysaccharide which means that this polymer is secreted by the fungus itself into the medium on which it is growing.

This biomaterial can be used to disinfect wounds and hastens the process of healing.

What is Pullulan?

Pullulan is basically a polymeric chain of glucose.

Pullulan as a biomaterial is already successful and widely used commercially. It is exploited in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry because of its non-toxic, non-mutagenic and non-immunogenic properties. Further, its ease of manufacture has also added to its appeal.

What is the significance of the development of this biomaterial?

The use of antibiotics to control bacterial infections has taken a beating with the emergence of multi-drug resistant pathogens. Hence, the development of this biomaterial will help in tackling such bacterial infections.

Source: The post is based on the article “Biomaterial from fungal extract helps heal wounds” published in The Hindu on 15th May 2022.