Technology from the Star Trek sci-fi universe continues to infiltrate our real life. We've already read about the medical tricorder, heard about the development of the warp drive, and evaluated food printers. Now is the time for a "skin regenerator" - a small device that can heal wounds and burns and restore the original structure of epidermal tissue. Scientists from the University of Arizona, under the leadership of Kaushal Rege, are just developing a similar device.
In an article published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, the researchers report on the successful restoration of damaged animal skin tissues using silk and gold nanoparticles using laser beams. As part of an experimental test, the technology made it possible to quickly heal the damaged soft tissue of the pig intestine, as well as the damaged area of the mouse skin. Scientists note that in the case of the pig intestine, the created scar, which unites two areas of damaged tissue, was almost seven times stronger than using conventional wound suturing.
Scientists note that it is quite common for wounds to reopen with conventional repair methods such as stitches, medical glue and staples, slowing down tissue repair. Their development promises to eliminate this problem.
From left to right: Comparison of the wound condition after using a conventional suture, medical glue and laser on days 0 and 2 after injury.
When using a "healing" laser beam, it must be focused on the wound site. In fact, the beam does not heal anything, it only triggers a reaction that leads to rapid wound healing. Scientists use gold nanotubes embedded in a silk protein matrix taken from silkworm cocoons as a bonding material. When placed on the skin, a protein called fibroin forms a bond with collagen, a protein that forms the basis of connective tissue between skin cells. When exposed to near-infrared radiation on gold nanotubes, they generate heat, which causes the silk protein to create new cellular bonds, thereby forming a strong bond between damaged areas.
The used length of the near infrared laser is about 800 nanometers. This is enough to heat up the gold nanoparticles without causing any damage to the skin.
The developers have created two types of healing "sealant": one for a humid environment that does not absorb under the influence of water, the other for a dry environment that is etched by water. The first scientists tested during the healing of pig intestinal tissue. After applying the healing agent, the researchers noted that the tissue at the site of healing was seven times stronger than with conventional stitches and medical glue. According to Ghosh, the repaired tissue functions in a completely normal way, as does the intact tissue.
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The scientists then tested a dry-environment healing agent by applying it to the skin of a laboratory rodent. After applying a paste to the incision and checking the wound after 2 days, the scientists noted significantly higher healing efficiency compared to braces and medical glue. In addition, the process of application and launch itself took very little time - about four minutes.
Because near-infrared light can penetrate deep into tissue, Ghosh and his colleagues hope to use their technology in the future to repair blood vessels and nerve channels - tissues usually deep under the skin that take significantly longer to repair than normal tissue.
Scientists believe that the cost of silk-gold material will not be excessively high, and the main costs of medical centers in this case will fall on laser equipment.
Scientists are currently observing how the laser-activated medical sealant behaves in live rats. If the tests are successful, scientists are going to move on to pigs, and then finally to humans.
Nikolay Khizhnyak