Shark skin may claim for Biomedical potential.

Sharks show off a fantastic potential to heal from wounds sustained in the wild, exhibiting an obvious resilience that differentiates them from different fish. Although this recovery potential has now not been scientifically documented beneath managed laboratory conditions, some of the chemical compounds determined in shark pores and skin may additionally have full-size biomedical potential.

Research on Shark Skin Biochemistry

To check out this possibility, two dermatology researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden carried out lookup on a small shark, the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), and different cartilaginous fish species at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole. Their purpose is to recognize the special biochemistry of the pores and skin of these animals. Previous lookup on sharks in different labs has led to the improvement of a new antibiotic, and the discovery of biochemical pathways applicable to cystic fibrosis research.

Jakob Wikström, companion professor of dermatology and primary investigator at Karolinska, and Etty Bachar-Wikström, senior researcher, investigated the pores and skin mucus of two species of sharks and their shut relatives, little skates, at the MBL. Unlike the huge majority of fish species, which have quite easy pores and skin covered through a thick, slimy layer of mucus, sharks have hard pores and skin that feels like sandpaper. It wasn’t apparent whether or not this pores and skin has a protecting mucus layer at all.

Much extra is recognized about fish biology than shark biology, for apparent reasons,” Wikström said. “Fish are less complicated to handle, and there’s a better industrial hobby in them.” Sharks are additionally fish, of course, however ninety nine percentage of fish are bony species (Osteichthyes), not like the cartilaginous sharks and skates (Chondrichthyes), he pointed out.

The initial consequences of their lookup on the mucus layer have been these days posted in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. “Our purpose in this paper used to be to represent shark pores and skin at the molecular level, which hasn’t been executed in-depth,” Bachar-Wikström said.

Their learn about located a very skinny mucus layer on shark pores and skin that is chemically exclusive from that of bony fish. The shark mucus is much less acidic, nearly neutral, and turns out to be extra chemically comparable to some mammalian mucus, inclusive of some human mucus, than to bony fish mucus, she said.

Potential Biomedical Applications

It’s greater proof that “the molecular biology of sharks is unique,” Wikström said. “They’re now not simply any other fish swimming around. They have a special biology, and there are likely loads of human biomedical functions that one ought to derive from that. For example, when it comes to mucin [a predominant thing of the mucus], one can think about exceptional wound care topical remedies that may want to be developed from that.” Wound-treatment merchandise have already been derived from codfish, he said, and “I assume it’s feasible that one ought to make some thing comparable from sharks.”

Bachar-Wikström added, “Besides the human relevance, it’s additionally essential to symbolize these high-quality animals, and to understand extra about them and how they live to tell the tale in their environment… I suppose that this is simply the first step to even deeper molecular understanding.”

Ongoing Research and Future Prospects

The pair have a sequence of papers in the works to in addition signify the special biochemical homes of these species, which encompass chain catsharks (Scyliorhinus retifer) and the little skate (Leucoraja erinacea) alongside with spiny dogfish. These papers encompass in-depth research of the distinct telephone kinds in the pores and skin on a single-cell degree and additionally appear in greater element at the restoration capabilities of shark skin.

“Animals that are a long way away [from us] evolutionarily can nevertheless supply us very vital data that is applicable for humans,” Wikström said.

While a terrific deal of lookup has been completed on the wound recovery of zebrafish, he said, “no one has in reality achieved it on sharks to the identical extent, so it’s interesting due to the fact we actually don’t comprehend what we’re going to find. It’s explorative research.”

The researchers stated the MBL supplied distinctive assets that made this work possible, inclusive of a massive series of specimens of the applicable species, and professionals who are fairly skilled in working with them. “It’s sincerely a special competence they have,” Wikström said. “There are no longer many locations in the United States or the world the place they have it.”

Reference: “Identification of Novel Glycans in the Mucus Layer of Shark and Skate Skin” by way of Etty Bachar-Wikstrom, Kristina A. Thomsson, Carina Sihlbom, Lisa Abbo, Haitham Tartor, Sara K. Lindén and Jakob D. Wikstrom, 19 September 2023, International Journal of Molecular Sciences.