Inflammation in Ceramic Scaffolds Helps Boost Bone Regeneration

How inflammation, when precisely controlled, is crucial for bone repair has been identified by scientists. The findings showed that a new type of ceramic scaffold causes inflammatory cells to behave in a way that is more regenerative than scaffolds that are currently used clinically.

The reason can be attributed to macrophages - swallowing white blood cells that digest foreign particles, the researchers said.

Bone Repair Boosted by High-Strength Silk Scaffolds
The first all-polymeric bone scaffold material that is wholly biodegradable and able to offer major mechanical support through repair demonstrated by biomedical engineers at Tufts University.

‘In their bid to design new bio-materials that promote tissue regeneration, scientists have identified how inflammation, when controlled, is crucial for bone repair.’

Tweet it Now

"We wanted to know why these scaffolds were successful and to understand the contributions of macrophages to that process," said Kara Spiller, Associate Professor Drexel University, in Pennsylvania, the US.

The findings showed that the new ceramic scaffolds caused macrophages to transform into an M2c phenotype, meaning they express genes associated with re-modelling.

This behavior was not seen in the scaffolds that have been approved to be used in humans.

Need for Changes In Rotator Cuff Surgery Rehabilitation Suggests Study
Existing rehabilitation used for people undergoing tendon-bone repairs like rotator cuff repair perhaps partially to blame for the high rates of failed healing post surgery suggests study.

Further, the study also found that macrophages must be in direct contact with the scaffold in order to regenerate tissue.

"The macrophages degrade the scaffolds and shape them into something new," Spiller said.

Makings of Bone and Cartilage
Scientists have used a combination of small molecules can be used to generate mouse cells that can form bone and cartilage by a new method that is easily scalable.

Determining why certain scaffolds are successful in re-growing bone will ultimately help biomedical engineers design other types of scaffolds and new drug delivery strategies to promote healing in other areas of the body, the researchers concluded in the paper published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.

Source-IANS

Genetic Elements That Drive Tissue Regeneration Uncovered by researchers
Researchers have found that genes important for regeneration in salamanders or zebra fish also have counterparts in humans.