An innovative medical approach to the treatment of osteoarthritis

Researchers have succeeded in developing a new method to treat cartilage regrowth

Researchers from the University of Texas have succeeded in developing a new method to treat cartilage regrowth. The researchers claim that a nanoclay-based substrate designed for sustained and sustained delivery of protein-containing drugs has the potential to improve the treatment of osteoarthritis, a degenerative disease that affects nearly twenty-seven million Americans, a disease caused by cartilage erosion that can lead to bone damage. . As the American population ages, the prevalence of osteoarthritis is expected to increase. One of the most significant challenges in the treatment of this disease is the replacement of damaged tissue, especially in view of the fact that the regrowth of cartilage tissue is difficult to perform.

One of the methods to repair or regrow damaged cartilage tissue is to inject healing growth factors into it. Growth factors are a special family of proteins that can help repair tissue and encourage its regrowth. At the same time, existing versions of growth factors break down quickly and require the use of a high concentration in order to produce a medical benefit. Recent clinical studies have demonstrated that there are significant negative side effects resulting from such treatment, including uncontrolled creation of tissues and even inflammation.

The study, published in the scientific journal Applied materials, describes how the researchers designed two-dimensional mineral nanoparticles intended for the transfer of growth factors for an extended period, with the aim of overcoming this limitation.

These nanoparticles provide high surface area and dual charge characteristics that allow simple electrostatic binding of growth factors. "These nanoparticles enable the long-term transfer of growth factors into human stem cells of the embryonic connective tissue type, cells that are normally used for the regeneration of cartilage," explains the lead researcher.

"The delayed transfer of the growth factors caused increased differentiation of stem cells into cartilage cells and can be used to treat osteoarthritis." "By using nanoparticles for phantom transfer, a significant and stable differentiation of stem cells can be induced," says the lead researcher. "In addition, prolonged transfer of growth factors can reduce the overall financial costs by reducing the concentration of growth factors and, in addition, you can reduce the negative side effects."

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