Wound Healing Effects of Blastema Extract from Amputated Earthworm Adults

Natural compounds of biological origin have gained immense interest in wound healing applications due to their natural tissue regenerative properties without inducing any systemic toxicity. It has been reported previously that earthworm extracts of whole animals are exhibiting high wound healing index. It has also been reported that the newly regenerated tissues of animals are highly enriched with growth factors, cytokines and regenerative proteins and peptides. Combining both these aspects, the present study explores the utility of blastema tissue- the regenerated tissue from the amputated region of adult earthworms, Eisenia fetida in its proliferative and healing properties in vitro on mouse fibroblast cell line L929. Eisenia fetida exhibits remarkable regenerative capabilities, making it an excellent model for studying tissue regeneration and developing novel wound healing agents. Five segments from the anterior region of the earthworms were amputated, and regeneration was observed over a 12-day period. The tissue extract from the regenerated blastema was prepared and tested for its efficacy in wound healing on mouse fibroblast (L929) cells using a scratch assay. The experimental observations were remarkable, that the earthworm blastema extract significantly accelerated wound closure, by enhancing fibroblast migration, proliferation, and with enhanced collagen synthesis. The high index in cell migration on treatments projects regenerated blastema extract as a promising candidate for wound healing applications especially for degenerated resistant wounds like Diabetic foot ulcer.