Bones made of cellulose
Canadian scientists have developed a material from plant cellulose for bone implants
Researchers from the University of British Columbia and McMaster University (Canada) have obtained an airy, foamy substance that can be injected into the body and provide "scaffolding" for the growth of new bone, the University of British Columbia website reports (From foam to bone: Plant cellulose can pave the way for healthy bone implants).
The new material is made by processing nanocrystals obtained from plant cellulose. The crystals combine to form a strong but lightweight sponge – an aerogel–that can shrink or expand as needed to completely fill the bone cavity.
"Most bone grafts or implants are made of hard, but fragile ceramics, which does not always correspond to the shape of the hole. Gaps can lead to poor bone growth and damage to the implant," said Daniel Osorio, one of the authors of the development.
The new cellulose nanocrystalline aerogel is a more effective alternative to the current synthetic materials. To make sure of this, the research team conducted an experiment with laboratory rats. Rodents were divided into two groups, only one of which was implanted with aerogel implants. After three weeks, bones grew 33% faster in rats with implants than in the second group, and after 12 weeks – 50% faster.
Similar "scaffolding" made of nanocellulose can be used as dental implants in the future. In addition, they will be useful during spinal disc replacement operations. The authors of the development added that as soon as the damaged bone gets strong enough, the implant will have to disintegrate into non-toxic components that will not cause damage to the body.
However, it will take some time before the aerogel moves from the laboratory to the operating room. Now scientists plan to study the mechanisms of interaction between the bone and the implant, which lead to bone growth, and also consider in more detail how the implant is destroyed.
An article with a detailed description of the new material for implants has been published in the journal Acta Biomaterialia (Osorio et al., Cross-linked cellulose nanocrystal aerogels as viable bone tissue scaffolds).
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