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Abattoirs dispose of sheepskins as solid waste due to low price and poor demand for sheepskin leather. In principle, as an alternative to being disposed of in landfill, sheepskins can serve as a source of the protein collagen or the hydrolysis product, gelatin. In this research, sheepskins collected from abattoirs were used as a source of collagen. Three extraction methods were compared: acid extraction, acid with enzymes, and alkali extraction. The extracted material was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The collagen and gelatin extraction yield ranged from 3.1% to 4.8% with the product purity determined by hydroxyproline, ranging from 7.8% for the alkali process to 59% and 68% for the acid and acid-enzyme processes. SDS PAGE showed that the acid process produced fragments with molecular weights in the range 100 to >250 kDa, while acid–enzyme resulted in smaller fragments, below 30 kDa. The FTIR region of the amide I band at 1800–1550 cm−1, which was used as an indicator of the collagen and gelatin content, showed that the gelatin dominated in the acid extracts, and the alkaline extract contained a large portion of keratin. SAXS was found to be a sensitive method for showing the presence of intact collagen fibrils in materials from all of the extraction methods, albeit at low concentrations. Herein, sheepskin is shown to be a useful source for collagen–gelatin material of varying molecular weights.

Background Managing chronic wounds, particularly pressure injuries, poses a challenge for healthcare professionals. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Iranian sheep-felt mattresses in preventing pressure injuries among hospitalized patients. Methods In this parallel, open-label randomized controlled trial, 55 patients at moderate to high risk of pressure injuries, admitted to the intensive care unit or the internal ward of Bohlol Hospital (Gonabad, Iran; 2022–2024), were randomly assigned to an experimental group ( n  = 28) or a control group ( n  = 27). Participants had no existing pressure injuries or uncontrolled diabetes upon admission. The control group received routine care with a standard wavy mattress, while the experimental group additionally received an Iranian sheep-felt mattress. Eligible patients were enrolled within 48 h of admission and followed for up to 30 days. Primary outcome was pressure injuries occurrence within 30 days; secondary outcomes included pressure injury-free days, pressure injury severity, and patient satisfaction. Data were collected via demographic/clinical questionnaires, the Braden Risk Scale, National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel classification, and the mattress satisfaction questionnaire, and analyzed using Chi-square, Mann–Whitney, exact tests, and survival analysis. Relative risk, absolute risk reduction, and number needed to treat were calculated. Results Data from 50 patients (25 in each group) were analyzed. The incidence of pressure injuries was significantly lower in the experimental group compared to the control group (12.0% vs. 56.0%; p  < 0.001), corresponding to a relative risk of 0.21, an absolute risk reduction of 44%, and a number needed to treat of 3, highlighting the clinical significance of using the Iranian sheep-felt mattress. A significant difference was also noted in the stage of pressure injuries ( p  = 0.002), with lower stages in the experimental group. The median survival time free of pressure injuries was 20.0 days (Interquartile range: 18.0–30.0) in the control group and 30.0 days (Interquartile range: 30.0–30.0) in the experimental group, with a significant difference between the groups ( p  = 0.015). Conclusions This study indicated that Iranian sheep-felt mattresses can reduce the incidence and severity of pressure injuries. Multi-center trials with larger sample sizes are necessary to confirm these results and evaluate long-term effects. Clinical trial registration This research was registered (11/05/2022) at https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/ with registration number: IRCT20190622043968N3.

Proteolytic and lipolytic extremely halophilic archaea found in curing salt may contaminate skins during the brine curing process and damage skin structure. In the present study, three proteolytic and lipolytic extremely halophilic archaea were isolated from deteriorated salted sheepskins and characterised using conventional and molecular methods. Each test strain (Haloarcula salaria AT1, Halobacterium salinarum 22T6, Haloarcula tradensis 7T3), a mixed culture of these strains and the mixed culture treated with 1.5 A direct current (DC) were used for brine curing processes of fresh sheepskins and examined during 47 days of storage to evaluate the degree of destruction wreaked by these microorganisms. Both organoleptic properties and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of sheepskins proved that each separate test strain and the mixed culture caused serious damage. However, the mixed culture of strains treated with electric current did not damage sheepskin structure. Therefore, we highly recommend sterilisation of brine using DC to prevent archaeal damage on cured hides and skins in the leather industry.