Injectable Hydrogel Repairs Cartilage Nonsurgically With Electricity

Researchers at University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT, USA) have developed this injectable gel as a less invasive alternative to surgical implants. The research team’s area of expertise lies in piezoelectric materials, which are substances that generate a low-level electric field when flexed or bent. This mimics the body's own electric fields that help in recruiting stem cells to repair damaged cartilage. The team decided to try this piezoelectric stimulation approach in a gel form that would offer a simpler, injectable solution.

The researchers created the gel using poly-L-lactic acid, a piezoelectric material, which they spun into minute fibers and mixed into a gel. This gel was then injected into the knees of rabbits that had suffered cartilage damage. Ultrasound was applied five times a week, starting two weeks after the injection, to activate the piezoelectric fibers in the gel. Remarkably, the cartilage in the rabbits' knees began to regrow. Approximately two months later, functional cartilage was observed in the animals' knees. This method appears to be as effective as using solid piezoelectric scaffolds but eliminates the need for surgical implantation. The team is now planning to test this technique on larger animals that are more similar to humans.

“A solid scaffold [that encourages regrowth] is really nice. But making it injectable would much reduce patients’ pain and suffering,” said UConn biomedical engineer Thanh Nguyen.

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