Saskatoon study demonstrates healing benefits of oats

A beta-glucan hydrogel, originating from research conducted at the University of Saskatchewan, is now proving to be a low-cost and effective treatment for chronic wounds.

Saskatoon StarPhoenix, January 20, 2005

by Jeannie Armstrong, SP Creative Features Editor
reprinted with permission of The Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Is there anything the humble oat can't do?

For thousands of years, people have applied poultices of ground oats to soothe and heal irritated skin.

In the last two decades, scientific studies have revealed that the soluble fiber from oats can help lower total serum LDL cholesterol and decrease blood pressure, helping to reduce the risk of heart disease. Type II diabetics can benefit from the ability of oats to slow blood glucose response after meals. The insoluble fibers in oats can help prevent gastrointestinal disorders and protect against colon cancer. The phytoestrogens in oats may help fight breast cancer and other hormone-related cancers.

Now a study being conducted in Saskatoon is demonstrating the power of oats to heal chronic wounds.

For the past year, Saskatoon Home Care has been participating in a multi-sited trial of MacroPro™, an oat beta glucan wound gel produced by Brennen Medical Inc. in St. Paul, Minnesota and distributed in Canada by Classic Health Supplies.

The unique hydrogel stems from research originally conducted at the University of Saskatchewan, which revealed new uses for carbohydrates extracted from oats. Murray Ellis of Classic Health explains, "The particular carbohydrate which is extracted from the cell wall of oats, oat beta-glucan, contributes significantly to the healing of wounds."

The fractionation extraction technology to obtain oat beta-glucan was licensed to Brennen Medical, who is now using it to produce a series of products, including wound care, skin care and burn unit therapies.

The oat kernels continue to be processed in Saskatoon, with the concentrate shipped to Brennen Medical in St. Paul, where it is used in a variety of gels, creams and dressings.

Donna Flahr, Clinical Educator with Saskatoon Home Care, says the MacroPro trial has generated impressive results. "We joined the study to determine if MacroPro was efficacious and if there was any room for it to be in our repertoire of treatments. We've had some really good results."

Participants in the study were all clients of Saskatoon Home Care, who had chronic wounds that were not healing with standard practice. "These are very high risk wounds that haven't healed over a lengthy period of time. Most are lower limb wounds, where there is the risk of amputation. Our primary focus has been diabetic foot ulcers, which is something we see a lot of in the community," says Flahr. "The only adjustment we made in their treatment was to add the use of MacroPro gel. The gel is applied a minimum of twice per day."

Four out of the 15 participants were completely healed after using MacroPro gel; another eight have had their wounds improve. "Significantly, the four clients whose wounds have healed completely, healed within three months of starting the study, although they had been on our case load for quite a while. Another woman who is healing quite well has actually had the wound for 20 years. Nothing else had worked until now," says Flahr.

The only pharmaceutical product which Flahr says MacroPro can be compared to is a prescription growth factor product, which sells for approximately $500 a tube. In comparison, MacroPro, which is available without a prescription, is priced at approximately $35 to $40 a tube.

"The $500 growth factor product can only offer about a 50 per cent rate of healing. Its price makes it prohibitive for many clients," says Flahr.

Ellis says that Calgary is another key site for the MacroPro study. The focus of the Calgary study is using MacroPro gel as a first line treatment for arterial wounds. "The clinical educator who is conducting the study in Calgary says that if the wounds aren't healing with MacroPro, they're not going to heal at all. The success rate has been very similar to the Saskatoon study."

Chronic wounds represent a huge danger to an individual's health, says Flahr. "When wounds don't heal, the big risk is infection. Once you lose your skin barrier, your risk of infection and sepsis is increased. Diabetics do not fight infection well, so when they have an open wound, their risk is even greater. Amputation becomes the big threat. And once a person loses one leg, they're at very high risk of losing their second limb within a very brief time period. There are huge implications to the individual's quality of life and the cost to the health care system."

Flahr hopes the MacroPro study will continue through the spring of 2005. "If Classic Health is willing, I think we'll extend the study and try to involve some additional clients who might benefit from the product."

The study has specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, explains Flahr. "Before we'll include someone in the study, we have to make certain that they have a certain amount of blood flow to the limb, that they don't have infection, that they're not taking medications that would alter healing - such as chemotherapy drugs."

Ellis adds that anyone who is allergic to oats, wheat or other cereal gums, should not use MacroPro gel.

MacroPro Beta Glucan Gel is available without a prescription, and can be obtained at Nordon Drugs Ltd. in Saskatoon, and in Prince Albert at the Victoria Square Compounding Pharmacy and Gray Chemists. MacroPro can also be sourced directly from Classic Health Supplies, by calling 1-888-421-0488 toll-free. More information about the product is available on the manufacturer's website at: www.brennenmedical.com.