The human acidic fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF-1) plays a role in
angiogenesis and tissue repair. Red sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza) is an herb
medicine used in traditional Chinese treatment of various diseases. Dehu
Liu, from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and a team of
researchers now examine if expressing FGF-1 in red sage can accelerate the
herb's effect in healing of burn wounds.

The FGF-1 was expressed in transgenic S.miltiorrhiza plants with the highest
levels observed in the leaves. The extract from transgenic S. miltiorrhiza
stimulated proliferation of mouse fibroblast cells and promoted angiogenesis
in chicken embryos. The extract possessed the therapeutic functions of both
FGF-1 and red sage. Topical application of the extract significantly
accelerated the burn wound healing process.

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