Pollution Can Delay Wound Healing

Air-polluting diesel exhaust particles already linked to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, also can delay diabetic wound healing, according to South Korean researchers. The team examined the effect of such pollutants on rats, measuring levels of post-exposure inflammation in critical collagen-producing cells found in connective tissue, Science reported. In the study, exposure to diesel exhaust particles increased cyclooxygenase-2 in connective tissue (a protein which had previously been shown to delay wound healing). The resulting inflammation can be particularly dangerous for patients with diabetic ulcers. “Wound healing requires complex cellular and molecular events that can lead to either accelerated or delayed healing, the latter of which can result in chronic wounds,” researchers wrote. The full study was published in the March issue of Wounds.