The future of burn and wound care looks fishy—in a good way. New research suggests that more types of fish skins can be used as wound dressings than currently believed.

Researchers at the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines conducted the study, which aimed to test the possibility of bangus (Chanos chanos) skin as a base for skin grafts. Researchers have found that bangus skin is just as strong and effective in preventing microbial growth as tilapia fish skin, an emerging alternative to skin grafts. The discovery may allow milkfish to become a cost-effective, environmentally friendly option for treating serious injuries in poorer areas, the researchers said.

In recent years, scientists have investigated fish skin as a skin graft material for humans and animals. Compared to other animal skin grafts, fish skin more resistant to possible viral contamination and it is even better at speeding up wound healing. Many fish skin products have been tested today and are still in use at the moment emergency crises such as the California wildfires in 2023.

Today, however, the most commonly used fish in these grafts is tilapia. That’s why Ateneo de Manila researchers wanted to see if the popular bangus (locally known as “bangus”) could also be a wound care medicine.

They collected fresh skins of bangus and tilapia from a local market in Metro Manila, then descaled, washed, and sliced. Some of the strips were treated with silver nanoparticles, a common antimicrobial, while others were left alone as controls.

Under the microscope, the skins of wild boar retain the structural integrity of their collagen like tilapia. And treated milkfish skin has also been shown to inhibit bacterial and fungal growth, too.

“By demonstrating that bangus skin can be effectively sterilized and used similarly to tilapia skin, this research provides new, cost-effective, and sustainable wound healing solutions,” they wrote. to the researchers in their paper, PUBLISHED late last year in BIO Web of Conferences.

As popular as the bangus is in places like the Philippines, its skin is often thrown in the trash. So the use of bangus skin as a wound dressing can help hospitals with less resources and also reduce environmental waste. More research needs to be done to confirm the viability of bangus skin for grafts, but it could be an important treatment option, the researchers said.

“This finding has the potential to revolutionize wound care in underserved areas, improving patient outcomes in regions with limited access to advanced medical facilities,” they wrote. them.

Scientists elsewhere have also begun testing other fish species as a base material for skin grafts, such as COD.