MAINE, USA — Blueberries, like those grown in Down East Maine, are rich in what is called polyphenols compounds, which help cells spring into action when the human body sustains an injury.
A recently published study from the School of Food and Agriculture at the University of Maine found that different extracts and concentrations of polyphenols from blueberries aid in wound healing and tissue regeneration in difficult-to-treat injuries... injuries like burns or for patients with poor circulation due to preexisting conditions, like diabetes.
"We have videos of endothelial cells going (zoom) and closing the wound very fast. So we thought, 'Hmm... what clinical conditions can we help?' It can be patients with burns, blast wounds, diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, etc.," Dr. Dorothy Klimis-Zacas, University of Maine professor of Clinical Nutrition, told NEWS CENTER Maine.
For those interested in the full findings of the study, an article detailing the study’s findings, Angiogenesis is Differentially Modulated by Anthocyanin and Phenolic Acid Extracts from Wild Blueberry (V. angustifolium) Through PI3K Pathway was published in the Journal of Medicinal Food in July 2020.