Looking Sharp: Shark Skin is Unique and May Have Medical Use, Too

A small shark, the the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), in the MBLMarine Resources Center. Credit: Etty Bachar-Wikstr枚m

WOODS HOLE, Mass. -- Sharks differ from other fish in many ways, including an apparently remarkable ability to heal from wounds, according to reports of sharks recovering from injuries sustained in the wild. 听While this healing ability has not yet been documented in controlled laboratory conditions, some of the chemical compounds found in shark skin may have significant biomedical potential.

To investigate this possibility, two dermatology researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden carried out research on a small shark, the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) and other cartilaginous fish species at the Marine Biological Laboratory (美女直播做爱) in Woods Hole. Their goal is to understand the unique biochemistry of the skin of these animals. Previous research on sharks in other labs has led to the development of a new antibiotic, and the discovery of biochemical pathways relevant to cystic fibrosis research.

, associate professor of dermatology and principal investigator at Karolinska, and Etty Bachar-Wikstr枚m, senior researcher, investigated the skin mucus of two species of sharks and their close relatives, little skates, at the 美女直播做爱. Unlike the vast majority of fish species, which have relatively smooth skin protected by a thick, slimy layer of mucus, sharks have rough skin that feels like sandpaper. It wasn鈥檛 obvious whether this skin has a protective mucus layer at all.

Their study found a very thin mucus layer on shark skin that is chemically different from that of bony fish. The shark mucus is less acidic, almost neutral, and turns out to be more chemically similar to some mammalian mucus, including some human mucus, than to bony fish mucus, she said.   It's more evidence that 鈥渢he molecular biology of sharks is unique,鈥 Wikstr枚m said. 鈥淭hey're not just another fish swimming around. They have a unique biology, and there are probably lots of human biomedical applications
Whitman Scientists Jakob Wikstro虉m and Etty Bachar-Wikstro虉m in the Marine Resources Center. Credit: 美女直播做爱
chain catshark
The chain catshark (Scyliorhinus retifer) is one of four elasmobranch species (sharks, skates, rays and sawfish) known to be biofluorescent. Credit: Jakob Wikstro虉m and Etty Bachar-Wikstro虉m

鈥淢uch more is known about fish biology than shark biology, for obvious reasons,鈥 Wikstr枚m said. 鈥淔ish are easier to handle, and there's a bigger commercial interest in them.鈥 Sharks are also fish, of course, but 99 percent of fish are bony species (Osteichthyes), unlike the cartilaginous sharks and skates (Chondrichthyes), he pointed out.

The initial results of their research on the mucus layer were recently published in the . 鈥淥ur aim in this paper was to characterize shark skin at the molecular level, which hasn't been done in depth,鈥 Bachar-Wikstr枚m said.

Their study found a very thin mucus layer on shark skin that is chemically different from that of bony fish. The shark mucus is less acidic, almost neutral, and turns out to be more chemically similar to some mammalian mucus, including some human mucus, than to bony fish mucus, she said.

It's more evidence that 鈥渢he molecular biology of sharks is unique,鈥 Wikstr枚m said. 鈥淭hey're not just another fish swimming around. They have a unique biology, and there are probably lots of human biomedical applications that one could derive from that. For example, when it comes to mucin [a primary component of the mucus], one can imagine different wound care topical treatments that could be developed from that.鈥 Wound-treatment products have already been derived from codfish, he said, and 鈥淚 think it's possible that one could make something similar from sharks.鈥

Bachar-Wikstr枚m added, 鈥淏esides the human relevance, it's also important to characterize these amazing animals, and to know more about them and how they survive in their environment鈥 I think that this is just the first step to even deeper molecular understanding.鈥

little skate hatchlling
Little skate (Leucoraja erinacea) hatchling, another species studied by the team. Credit: Tetsuya Nakamura

The pair have a series of papers in the works to further characterize the unique biochemical properties of these species, which include chain catsharks (Scyliorhinus retifer) and the little skate (Leucoraja erinacea) along with spiny dogfish. These papers include in-depth studies of the different cell types in the skin on a single-cell level and also look in more detail at the healing abilities of shark skin.

鈥淎nimals that are far away [from us] evolutionarily can still give us very important information that is relevant for humans,鈥 Wikstr枚m said.

While a great deal of research has been done on the wound healing of zebrafish, he said, 鈥渘o one has really done it on sharks to the same extent, so it鈥檚 exciting because we really don鈥檛 know what we鈥檙e going to find. It鈥檚 explorative research.鈥

The researchers said the MBLprovided special resources that made this work possible, including a large collection of specimens of the relevant species, and specialists who are highly experienced in working with them. 鈥淚t's really a unique competence they have,鈥 Wikstr枚m said. 鈥淭here are not many places in the United States or the world where they have it.鈥

Citation:

Etty Bachar-Wikstr枚m et al. (2023) Identification of Novel Glycans in the Mucus Layer of Shark and Skate Skin. Intl. J. Mol. Sci., DOI:

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The Marine Biological Laboratory (美女直播做爱) is dedicated to scientific discovery 鈥 exploring fundamental biology, understanding marine biodiversity and the environment, and informing the human condition through research and education. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1888, the MBLis a private, nonprofit institution and an affiliate of the .