New Material That Could Treat Damaged Cartilage

Although the human body is quite successful in healing itself, some parts of our body cannot renew. One of these structures is our cartilages. These tissues, located at the ends of our bones, wear out over time and can also be damaged in cases of injury. This can cause painful and very distressing conditions.

A team led by Northwestern University in the USA has been hyaline cartilage He was working on its renewal and finally made a breakthrough. Researchers have developed a biomaterial that is injected into the damaged cartilage of live sheep and stimulates cartilage regrowth in active joints. This biomaterial is injected into the damaged area, acting as a scaffold and allowing cartilage to regenerate.

Cartilage problems can be solved

Cartilage deterioration has become a major health problem worldwide. Research worldwide every year millions of knee replacement surgeries shows that it has been done. Most of these surgeries are performed due to cartilage problems. Currently used treatments can cause problems such as causing the wrong type of cartilage formation and creating hard and fibrous fibro cartilage.

Chemist from Northwestern University Samuel Stupp and his team developed a biomaterial that could solve these problems. This biomaterial, consisting of two components, enables cartilage cells to proliferate. The first of these components is the one that regulates bone and cartilage growth. TGF-beta-1 proteinine The second component was a substance called hyaluronic acid, which is found in joints and cartilages.

Researchers found this hybrid material turning it into a liquid They injected the defective cartilage in the hind knee joints of sheep. The results showed that the new biomaterial has significant potential in cartilage regeneration.

Research, Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesIt was published in .