Some polysaccharides are immune stimulatory and this immune property improves wound healing probably through the macrophage. The big polysaccharides appear to be immune stimulatory whereas the smaller ones have anti-inflammatory activity. When an animal bites into the Aloe leaf, a hole is made in the leaf so that there is opportunity for the gel fillet to leak to the outside. However, this does not occur. The mucilage in combination with the Aloe gel hardens which seals the hole.
Mucilage always hardens and acts as a container for the inner gel fillet.
The transformation which occurs here is a sol-gel transformation of mucilage. Aloe vera tends to improve the penetration of water whereas mucilage tends to block the escape of water from a wound. If Aloe and mucilage are placed between two sticks, it takes some 1200 gms of force to pull the sticks apart. Wound healing does not just require immune stimulation by polysaccharides but Aloes healing comes from growth factors, amino acids, glycoproteins, gibberellin, auxin and minerals such as zinc as well as polysaccharides. These biologically active agents synergize to give us the miracle of Aloe vera.