November 2018 LTCN, Page 8, Wound Care, Thomas Leung

A compound whose presence in the bloodstream decreases with age likely helps older people develop fewer scars.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine found that stromal cell-derived-factor-1, or SDF1, influences scar formation and tissue regeneration in mice and lab-grown human skin.

In the study, which was published in Cell Reports in late September, the Penn team pierced the ears of young and old mice, observed less scarring in older mice and then compared gene expression in both groups.

The investigators narrowed in on SDF1 as the difference maker because of its previously understood role in scar formation in the skin, liver and lungs.

The research team found that the substance is expressed in younger mice but not older ones.

The Perelman School investigators then created a mouse without SDF1 to prove that its absence decreased scarring.

“This is a rare instance where aging actually improves the body’s ability to heal rather than diminishing it,” said lead author Thomas H. Leung, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of dermatology.

“When we’re younger, we secrete more SDF1 into the bloodstream to form scars,” he added, “but as we age, we lose this ability, which allows tissue to regenerate.”