Researchers have developed a new type of suture that generates electricity from muscle contractions, potentially accelerating wound healing. The biodegradable thread, made from polymers and magnesium, creates a small electrical current through friction, stimulating cell growth and reducing infection risk.
If the material is eventually deemed safe for use in people, it “could change how we treat injuries,” says materials scientist Chengyi Hou of Donghua University in Shanghai.
Researchers already knew that pumping electricity through stitches could speed healing, but previous technologies relied on bulky external batteries. The new sutures areThe thread is made from biodegradable polymers and magnesium, a metal that can be absorbed by the body over time. When muscles around the sutures contract and relax, the thread’s middle layer rubs against the outer shell, transferring electrons to the shell and generating electricity.
Hou and colleagues applied the thread’s electrical stimulation to artificial wounds in lab dishes. After 24 hours, fibroblasts — cells that are crucial to healing — decreased the wound area from 69 percent to 11 percent. Comparatively, untreated artificial wounds decreased in size from 69 percent to 33 percent after 24 hours.
In an experiment in rats, rodents treated with the electrical sutures made a quicker recovery and were less likely to develop an infection than rats treated with traditional sutures and untreated rats.
Biodegradable Suture Wound Healing Electrical Stimulation Medical Technology Biomaterials
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