Mahasiswa Pengembang Spidweb Gel Bersama Dosen Pembimbing
Argiope pulchella (Vengolis/Wikimedia Commons)
Spidweb Gel, Jaring Laba-Laba Percepat Penyembuhan Luka Cabut Gigi
Who would have thought that spider web can heal wounds after dental extraction? In the hands of five Dentistry students of UGM, Effendi Halim, Mirna Aulia, Claudia Twistasari, Choirunisa Nur Humairo, and Bayu Anggoro Aji, the spider web can heal the wounds more quickly. They have developed the Spidweb Gel due to the concerns over the high prevalence of dental carries and periodonatal disease, and the high incidence of dental extractions due to the low dental treatment among people.
“Wounds will heal naturally, but in certain cases, for example diabetes, certain medicines are required to help accelerate the healing process,” said Effendi on Tuesday (19/8) at UGM.
Effendi explained in the spider web there are substances that will quicken the healing, namely proteins and vitamin K. With its biocompatible nature, non-toxic, and easy to assemble with body cells, it is safe to be used in other living creatures, including humans.
“The spider web has long been used by people from Carpathia and Bokaro-Jharkhand, India, to help quicken scars on the skin,” he said.
Obviously, it is not easy to get spider web in great amounts. So, they raise their own spiders of the Argiope modesta and Cyrtophora molluccensis types that they buy at the local market. The web is collected every two weeks.
“We started in March. The spider web is extracted and be made into gel,” he explained.
Spidweb Gel has been tested on 30 marmots whose lower front dents have been extracted. The gel is then applied in the wounds. Histology specimen observation under the microscope shows that the wound phase ends quickly.
“Observations are done on the 3rd, 7th, and 14th days. With the gel application, the inflammatory phase ends on the third day, without the gel it is on the seventh day,” he said.
On the 14th day, the healing after the tooth extraction is followed by collagen tissue formation that will be changed into bones to fill up the cavity.
The Spidweb Gel development is conducted under the Student Creativity Programme for Research. Supervised by drg. Alma Linggar Jonarta, M.Kes., the research sends the five students to the National Student Scientific Week (PIMNAS) 2014 at Universitas Diponegoro Semarang from 25-28 August.