Scientists develop unique materials to repair damaged organs and tissue

Scientists develop unique materials to repair damaged organs and tissue
Scientists created biocompatible and bioresorbable polymer materials. Credit: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University

Tissue engineering is the future of medicine. The Polymer Materials for Tissue Engineering and Transplantology Laboratory of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) has created unique polymeric materials for medical purposes that repair traumatized human organs.

The laboratory specialists developed a three-dimensional porous material made of collagen and chitosan, an analog of . Using this material, the researchers can restore parts of bone lost as a result of trauma or illness.

According to the scientists, this is a completely new medical innovation; the terminology has not yet been defined. They are currently called "mimicking" materials, as they trick the body into accepting them. The polymer matrix is implanted into damaged , bones or vessels, and saturated with the cells of these organs. Since the materials are made from biocompatible components (chitosan and collagen), the body does not reject the foreign material. Over time, the matrix decomposes and the is replaced by natural tissue.

"We are not deceiving nature, we are just helping it to cope with a medical problem. Experts are currently debating whether it is better to use an implant or restore an organ. A person with an artificial organ must take medication for the rest of their lifetime to prevent the body from rejecting it. This is not the case for tissue grown from human cells," explains Vladimir Yudin, head of the laboratory.

The development of artificial organs for transplant is an urgent priority of modern medicine. The successful development of this area largely depends on the creation of biocompatible and bioresorbable polymer materials. The scientists of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University have not only developed the technology to create biocompatible materials that stimulate the restoration of natural tissues, but also managed to regulate the resorption time of the materials. It is very important for the implanted materials not to disintegrate before the new tissue is formed.

The results of preclinical studies showed that after a certain period of time, a three-dimensional sponge embedded in a bone starts to become covered with natural , while the material itself decomposes. In addition, the developed collagen sponge was studied both in liver tissues and in muscle tissue—the material also stimulated the restoration of the natural tissue of the organs. The latest research results are described in the article "Bioresorption of Porous 3-D Matrices Based on Collagen in Liver and Muscular Tissue" published in the journal Cell and Tissue Biology.

The researchers also developed wound covers, prostheses of blood vessels, and suture threads. In vivo preclinical trials were conducted with these materials, and the results proved that they are effective. The are recommended for use in and cellular transplantation.

More information: P. V. Popryadukhin et al, Bioresorption of Porous 3D Matrices Based on Collagen in Liver and Muscular Tissue, Cell and Tissue Biology (2018). DOI: 10.1134/S1990519X18030094

Provided by Peter the Great Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University

Citation: Scientists develop unique materials to repair damaged organs and tissue (2018, August 7) retrieved 29 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2018-08-scientists-unique-materials-tissue.html
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