Soil in wounds can help stop deadly bleeding

New UBC research shows for the first time that soil silicates, the most abundant material in the Earth’s crust, play a key role in blood clotting.

“Soil is not simply our matrix for growing food and building materials. Here we discovered that soil can really help control bleeding after injury by triggering clotting,” says study lead author Christian Kastrup, associate professor. in the biochemistry department of the medical school. and molecular and scientific biology at UBC’s Michael Smith Laboratories and Blood Research Center.

The study, published today in Blood advancesThey found that the presence of dirt in wounds helps activate a blood protein, known as Coagulation Factor XII. Once activated, the protein initiates a rapid chain reaction that aids in the formation of a plug, seals the wound, and limits blood loss.

While the researchers caution that there is a high risk of infection by unsterile dirt, they say their findings may have implications for the future development of novel strategies that use sterile soil to help control bleeding and potentially understand infection after trauma. .

“Excessive bleeding is responsible for up to 40 percent of mortality in trauma patients. In extreme cases and in remote areas without access to medical devices and wound sealing products, such as sponges and sealants, the sterile floor could be used to stop deadly bleeding after injuries, “says Kastrup.

The study also found that the mechanism by which soil silicates activate Factor XII and promote faster coagulation is unique to land mammals, or those that live predominantly or entirely on land.

“This finding demonstrates how land mammals, ranging from mice to humans, evolved to use silicates naturally as a specific Factor XII signal to trigger blood clotting,” says Lih Jiin Juang, first author of the study and UBC. Ph.D. student in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology. “These results will have a profound impact on the way we view our relationship with our environment.”

The scientists’ next plan includes testing whether the blood’s response to silicates helps prevent infection of microbes in the soil. They will also seek to test whether silicates on the moon’s surface can activate Factor XII and stop bleeding.

“If the moon’s silicates activate Factor XII, this discovery could prove useful in preventing the death of people who visit or colonize the moon, and would provide further insight into identifying materials that can stop bleeding in very remote, resourceful settings. and limited medical supplies, “says Kastrup.