Your skin, the sun and English Ivy?
What does your life, your skin, the sun and English Ivy have in common?
Would it surprise you that compounds in the roots of the English Ivy have UV protectant properties?
Curious isn’t it, the same liquid excreted by the roots of the Ivy that bind it to surfaces, is part of a really cool, as Professor Mingjun Zhang, from Ohio State University calls, “a superfamily of hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins present in the extracellular spaces of plant cells.”
What are they? Nanosperical araginogalactan proteins (AGPs).
The study submitted to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, (PNSA), by the team, “Nanosperical arabinogalactan proteins are a key component of the high-strength adhesive secreted by English ivy” , shows promise for not just adhesives for medical and cosmetic applications, arabinogalactans have some other super properties… I’ve come across them before and let’s just say you’ll hear more about this one from me soon!
More info:
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Amy Merwin