Breakthrough in wound healing, electric suture creates excitement

Breakthrough in wound healing, electric suture creates excitement

A new type of suture that combines electrical stimulation with traditional suturing methods has been developed.

It has been demonstrated that this mechanoelectric suture, which is constructed from biodegradable materials and generates electric fields in response to movement, significantly accelerates wound healing and lowers the risk of infection.

This innovative approach could revolutionise wound closure procedures and offer patients a faster and safer healing process.

In an experiment in rats, the new strong, flexible thread hastened wound healing by transforming muscle movement into electricity, researchers report in Nature Communications.

According to materials scientist Chengyi Hou of Shanghai’s Donghua University, the substance “could change how we treat injuries” if it is finally shown to be safe for use in humans.

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Although prior methods depended on large external batteries, researchers already knew that applying electricity to sutures helped accelerate the healing process. The body provides the energy for the new sutures.

The thread is composed of magnesium, a metal that the body may eventually absorb, and biodegradable polymers. The central layer of the thread rubs against the outer shell when the muscles around the sutures contract and relax, which transfers electrons to the shell and produces electricity.

Hou and colleagues used the thread’s electrical stimulation to treat artificial wounds in lab dishes. After 24 hours, fibroblasts, which are critical to healing, reduced the wound area from 69 percent to 11 percent. Untreated artificial wounds reduced in size from 69 percent to 33 percent after 24 hours.

Rodents treated with electrical sutures recovered faster and were less likely to acquire infections than rats treated with regular sutures or left untreated. Next, the team intends to try the sutures on bigger animals.

Breakthrough in wound healing, electric suture create excitement