Researchers at the University of Connecticut (USA) managed to regenerate knee cartilage with the help of electrical signals. For the study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine last Wednesday (12), the team carried out tests on a rabbit.
To regenerate the cartilage, the scientists used a material made of poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) nanofibers, a biodegradable polymer used to sew surgical wounds. In practice, this material has a property called piezoelectricity: when pressed, it is capable of producing an electric current. According to the authors of the article, this characteristic is part of the human body itself, and is present in bones, cartilage, collagen, DNA and even in various proteins.
The idea is that the simple movement of a joint (like walking) can trigger this electrical current, which in turn encourages cells to grow into the cartilage.
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Tests with the rabbit yielded satisfactory results, as the cartilage completely regenerated after the animal was taken to exercise on a treadmill. The study is set to continue, exploring increasingly larger animals, closer in size and weight to a human being. The researchers also intend to test the invention in older animals, considering that arthritis is a disease very related to old age.
