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When it comes to bouncing back from injuries, dolphins may be a step ahead of most mammals, including humans
In fact, the same fatty layer that insulates them also lends itself to faster recoveries from wounds. Michael Zasloff of Georgetown University suggests in a recent journal letter that studying dolphin blubber may yield insights into better medical treatments for skin injuries in the future.
Based on Zasloff's review of research and interviews, the injury response of dolphins differs from that of humans in a few key ways, including how the wounds heal and the level of perceived pain experienced by each. To begin, soon after a dolphin sustains an injury such as a shark bite, surrounding blubber appears to extend a whitish layer over the exposed area to protect it. Within 24 hours, granulation tissue forms to fill in areas damaged or removed from the body.
In contrast to what's seen in humans, dolphins responding to injuries don't scar as much. In addition, dolphins recovering from recent injuries don't seem to show behavioral signs that they are in much pain, says animal behaviorists who Zasloff interviewed.
Then there's the problem of infection.
Take a shark bite, for instance. If left untreated in humans, the injury increases the risk of bleeding to death or developing a deadly infection, Zasloff told NPR. Dolphins, however, normally do not hemorrhage -- despite blood moving through their bodies faster than in humans.
But other compounds found in dolphin blubber may explain why injuries such as shark bites aren’t a death sentence.
Isovaleric acid and organohalogens found in dolphin blubber, Zasloff notes, have antimicrobial properties in other organisms and may help stave off infections in dolphins. Finding out how these compounds affect healing could help medical researchers develop ways to potentially recreate the process or create drugs that enhance healing in humans someday.
Analysis by Marianne English /DISCOVERY
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