A compound found in wild blueberries may speed up the wound-healing process, according to new research. The study results suggest that bilberry extract could dramatically improve wound healing and may ultimately reduce the massive $50 billion cost spent on wound care each year.

Diabetic ulcers and other non-healing wounds often develop among the elderly. These wounds persist due to reduced development of nutrient-rich blood vessels, known as vascularization. Lack of vascularization is associated with diabetes, vascular disease, and other conditions. The problem is that vascularization is critical for the efficient delivery of oxygen and nutrients to support tissue and wound healing.

In an earlier study that focused on cells from the human umbilical cord, researchers at the University of Maine found that a phenolic extract from wild blueberries improved vascularization and cell migration, critical steps in the healing process.

For the current study, a team of experts led by Dr. Dorothy Klimis-Zacas looked at the effects of the phenolic extract on wounds. Phenols, found naturally in some foods, are compounds that serve as antioxidants, which can prevent and even reverse some types of cell damage.

Using a mouse model, the researchers treated a group of animals with a topical gel containing a phenolic extract of wild blueberries. These mice were compared with animals that were treated with a base gel without phenolic extract and with a control group that did not receive any treatment.

The experiment revealed that the treated mice exhibited improved endothelial cell migration to the wound site, as well as a 12 percent increase in wound closure.

"Wild blueberries have the potential to improve cell migration, new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) and vascularization, and accelerate wound closure," said the study's first author, Tolu Esther Adekeye. “This is especially important in conditions that require better wound closure in patients with chronic wounds such as diabetic wounds, burns and pressure ulcers.”

The study will be presented this week in Philadelphia at the annual meeting of the American Physiological Society (APS) in Experimental Biology 2022 .