Mixing gold with red wine can heal chronic wounds, scientists say

Scientists have developed a new way to make wounds heal faster. They use gold and red wine.

It combines the anti-inflammatory effects of the precious metal with the high concentrations of antioxidants (disease-fighting molecules found in many plants, including grapes) in red Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon wines.

Researchers at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa developed a mixture of both substances. Laboratory tests showed that serious wounds healed almost completely in just 72 hours.

Approximately 3.8 million patients are treated for wounds by the NHS each year.

Wounds that do not heal within three months are considered chronic. They remain stuck in the inflammatory phase of the healing process, rather than moving into the remodeling phase, where new tissue grows over the damaged area.

The researchers in South Africa looked at using gold to trigger the healing process because it is known to reduce inflammation and does not react with body tissue or cells (file image)

It combines the anti-inflammatory effects of the precious metal with the high levels of antioxidants (disease-fighting molecules found in many plants, including grapes) in Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon red wine (file image)

Around 3.8 million patients a year are treated for wounds by the NHS (file image)

Chronic wounds are common in conditions such as diabetes due to poor blood circulation. This increases the risk of infection which in extreme cases can lead to amputation of limbs.

The researchers in South Africa looked at using gold to trigger the healing process because it is known to reduce inflammation and does not react with body tissues or cells.

Injections of gold particles to relieve joint inflammation were one of the main treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, in which the immune system attacks healthy joints, in the UK for decades, until effective drugs came onto the market.

Red grapes are rich in antioxidants such as resveratrol, which has been shown to speed up the healing process by blocking the effects of free radicals (damaging substances that can slow tissue repair by disrupting oxygen supply).

The research team purchased three bottles of red wine made from popular grape varieties and dried samples in an oven. The extracts were then mixed with chloroauric acid, a chemical that contains atoms of gold.

Injecting gold particles to relieve joint inflammation was one of the main treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, in which the immune system attacks healthy joints, in the UK for decades until effective drugs came onto the market.

Chronic wounds are common in conditions such as diabetes due to poor blood circulation (file image)

The researchers then took a lab dish of human skin cells and made a “scratch” in the center to mimic a wound, and added the gold mixture.

After 72 hours, the “wound” treated with pinot noir and gold was more than 80 percent closed, compared to just 50 percent in samples treated with wine alone, the journal Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology reported.

Cells treated with Cabernet Sauvignon extract and gold did even better, with wounds closing nearly 100 percent within 72 hours.

Stella Vig, vascular surgeon at Croydon University Hospital, said: ‘This use (of red wine) is new, as is the combination of technologies to produce gold nanoparticles.

‘Both silver and gold nanoparticles can play an important role in reducing infections in wounds.’

Dr Ahmed Osman, senior researcher at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast, added: ‘These gold particles promote cell growth and improve the skin’s natural healing process.’