Science does not stand still today. New discoveries are made literally every day, including in the field of medicine. The discovery of scientists from France could revolutionize surgery as well as regenerative medicine. This discovery demonstrates that the cohesion forces of aqueous solutions of nanoparticles can be used in vivo to restore organs and soft tissues of the body. This relatively easy-to-use method of gluing incisions and wounds has now been successfully tested in rats. The French press writes that when a special solution is applied to the skin, it can heal deep wounds within literally a couple of seconds, providing high quality wound healing and an aesthetic suture.
The principle of operation of biogel is quite simple: the gel, together with a solution of nanoparticles, is applied to the tissue surfaces glued to each other, which are bonded with the help of the gel. This happens due to molecular interaction. This phenomenon is called adsorption. At the same time, the gel binds together the nanoparticles, forming a myriad of new connections between the two dispersed wound surfaces. This adhesion process takes only a few minutes and does not entail any chemical reactions.
During the experiment, French researchers compared two methods of closing the skin with a deep wound on it: by applying an aqueous solution of nanoparticles with a brush and by traditional medical sutures. At the same time, the option with the application of a solution of nanoparticles seems to be the easiest to use and very quickly closes the skin until it heals on its own. The process takes place without inflammation and tissue necrosis, and the scar at the wound site is almost invisible.
In another experiment, which was also carried out in experimental rodents, the scientists applied their solution to the soft tissues of internal organs, such as the lungs, liver and spleen, which are difficult enough to sew because they break when a surgical needle passes through them. Faced with a deep wound in the liver, the French specialists were able to close the wound, applied an aqueous solution of nanoparticles to it and squeezed the edges of the wound together. The bleeding was stopped. To restore the incision of the liver lobe, they again applied nanoparticles in the form of a special film, which was applied to the wound and stopped the bleeding. Both cases ended well for the rats, liver functions were restored, and the animals themselves remained alive.
This method of adhesion has shown its exclusivity, as its potential promises a very wide range of clinical uses. To obtain nanoparticles, the French used iron oxides and silicon dioxide, which can be easily absorbed by the human body. In the future, this method can be easily integrated into current research for tissue regeneration and treatment. If successful, it can revolutionize clinical practice.
Synthetic collagen for wound healing
Collagen is a fibrillar protein that has a special tertiary structure. Collagen molecules are formed by a triple helix, which consists of polypeptide chains. In the human body, this substance plays a very important role, forming a matrix of connective tissue and providing the process of its elasticity and strength. One of the most important properties of collagen is its ability to accelerate the process of adhesion and coagulation of platelets. These properties are used in modern medicine, but doctors have to use natural collagen, which is obtained from animals, usually from cows. Such collagen raises a number of concerns, as it can trigger the body's immune response, inflammation, or serve as a carrier of infection.
In the American laboratory of Jeffrey Hartgerink at the William Marsh Rice University (a private US research university located in Houston) several years ago, scientists obtained collagen of synthetic origin. As a result of laboratory studies, it was found that a new hydrogel based on synthetic collagen is able to bind platelets to each other, activating their ability to aggregate. This significantly speeds up the process of stopping bleeding, while experts do not notice the occurrence of inflammatory processes.
The lack of reaction of the human immune system and aggregation properties distinguish the material created in Houston from many commercial analogues. Naturally, such a substance cannot be used to stop serious bleeding, synthetic collagen cannot replace a tight bandage and tourniquet, but in a hospital operating room it is very difficult to find any analogue for this substance to stop surgical bleeding.
In addition to direct surgical applications, Hartgerink and his colleagues are considering the possibility of using a new material for healing small wounds and supporting grafts. It is reported that synthetic collagen is able to form the basis for the attachment of all types of cells and the growth of new tissues. This substance can be modified in accordance with the specific intended use. The immunological inertness and chemical purity of synthetic collagen are important advantages and an additional guarantee of success.
The use of modern materials in medicine
The area of using new biological materials, including those based on nanoparticles, is very extensive even within the framework of medicine, but it can become a real panacea in surgery. The developers believe that the new substances will be indispensable for operations on the vascular system of the spinal cord and brain, on the abdominal organs, and in dentistry. At present, during operations on the liver and when removing large formations from the body, all assistants pay a lot of attention to attempts to stop bleeding.
The methods used today are not very successful, we are talking about light freezing and absorbent wipes. At the same time, the loss of blood is not always reimbursed to the patient, not to mention the loss of time and the quality of preserved blood. The introduction of new biological and nano-substances can significantly reduce the operation time, reduce the amount of blood required for transfusion, nullifying the accompanying manipulations of doctors on the arteries and veins. At the same time, the possibility of introducing infection into the wound is reduced, for example, during operations on the liver or intestines.
A special area of application of new nanomaterials, which are able to quickly stop blood and heal wounds, are various rescue services. They can be used by rescue teams in road and rail accidents, plane and train crashes, during natural and man-made disasters, as well as in military field medicine. At the same time, new materials based on nanotechnology do not lose their unique properties even with a sufficiently long storage.
The modern nano-substance, synthetic collagen, or synthetic peptide, also has such an excellent property as the ability to disintegrate in the bloodstream over time, while most modern drugs for stopping bleeding remain in the human body for a long time. This aspect of the use of modern nanopreparations (their harmlessness and a number of other parameters) requires additional experiments. But it is indisputable that such drugs are the future of medicine.
