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Injuries in humans mend at a remarkably slower rate compared to our primate counterparts, with chimpanzees exhibiting significantly faster healing processes.
Wound healing in humans transpires at a notably reduced pace, taking nearly threefold longer than in other mammals, including chimpanzees, our closest living relatives. The underlying reasons remain unclear, but this could be an evolutionary modification linked to the extensive loss of body hair in humans.
A Comparative Study on Wound Healing
Humans experience a delayed healing process in comparison to other animals. To quantify this disparity, Akiko Matsumoto-Oda at the University of the Ryukyus in Japan and her team investigated four additional primate species: velvet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), Sykes’ monkeys (Cercopithecus albogularis), olive baboons (Papio anubis), and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
Methodology
The researchers administered anesthesia to at least five individuals of each primate type. They shaved a small area and created a circular injury measuring 40 millimeters in diameter. The wounds were treated with an antibiotic ointment and covered with gauze for a single day to prevent infection.
Findings
- Photographs and measurements, taken at two-day intervals, showed that the wounds healed at an approximate rate of 0.61 millimeters per day across all primate species.
- In contrast, wound healing in 24 patients at the University of the Ryukyus Hospital, who had undergone skin tumor removal, occurred at a significantly slower rate of 0.25 millimeters per day.
The team also analyzed mice and rats, observing similar healing rates to those of non-human primates. This suggests an evolutionary optimal healing rate for most mammals, excluding humans, according to Matsumoto-Oda.
Evolutionary Insights
Matsumoto-Oda notes, “Most significantly, chimpanzees displayed the same wound-healing rate as other non-human primates. This implies that the delayed wound healing observed in humans likely evolved after our species diverged from our common ancestor with chimpanzees.”
The cause of this evolutionary shift remains unknown. However, Matsumoto-Oda proposes that it could be related to early humans’ adaptation to arid environments. “The retarded wound healing rate in humans may be linked to evolutionary changes, such as the reduction in body hair,” she suggests. “A higher hair density correlates with an increase in stem cell numbers, facilitating quicker healing.”
Additionally, Matsumoto-Oda speculates that enhanced social support—including food sharing, caregiving, and rudimentary medicine—could have mitigated the drawbacks of slow wound healing in early human populations.
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