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

A team led by Northwestern University in the US has done just that hyaline cartilage He worked on renewing it and eventually made a breakthrough. Researchers have developed a biomaterial that is injected into the damaged cartilage of living sheep and stimulates the regrowth of cartilage in active joints. This biomaterial is injected into the damaged area, acts as a scaffold and allows the cartilage to regenerate.

Cartilage problems can be solved

Cartilage deterioration has become a major health problem worldwide. Annual research worldwide millions of knee replacement surgeries show that it is done. Most of these surgeries are performed for cartilage problems. The treatments currently used can cause problems, such as causing the wrong type of cartilage to form and creating hard and fibrous fibrocartilage.

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

Researchers found this hybrid material to turn it into a liquid They injected it into 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 .