Revolutionary Sutures Could Transform Wound Healing
The humble stitch plays a crucial role in surgery, holding a gash together while tissues repair. Now scientists have created a type of suture they say can help speed up wound healing and reduce the risk of infection.
Researchers in China have developed a unique suture that, when placed under strain—such as during movement—electrically stimulates the wound.
Dr. Chengyi Hou, a co-author of the research from Donghua University, said: “This electrical stimulation suture is a fully biodegradable and self-electrified material. It helps wound healing without any additional approaches, [such as] using external electric devices.”
Electrical stimulation is known to promote wound healing through various mechanisms, including boosting the migration of cells to the area.
Writing in the journal Nature Communications, the team reports how the new sutures are constructed from a core filament of magnesium that is wrapped in a biodegradable polymer, encased in a sheath made of another biodegradable material.
The team conducted a series of experiments with the suture, using artificial muscle fibers and rats with wounds.
The results reveal that when the sutures are stretched and the core moves within the sheath, an electrical charge is generated—the same principle observed when a balloon is rubbed on hair.
“The suture generates electricity by creating opposite charges on its middle and outer shell when muscles relax and contract, based on the triboelectric effect,” Hou explained. “This generates an electric field at the wound site to accelerate wound healing.”
While movement can strain and hinder the effectiveness of traditional stitches, it benefits the new sutures.
Through experiments conducted in a petri dish, the team found that the rates at which cells migrated to the area around the sutures and proliferated increased when an electrical field was present compared to when it was not, while electrical stimulation also diminished bacterial growth.
In experiments conducted on rats, the cuts in their muscles held together with the new sutures healed faster than those stitched with ordinary bioabsorbable sutures, exhibiting fewer bacteria. This finding is crucial for reducing the risk of postoperative infections.
After 10 days, the wounds were almost completely healed, unlike when no sutures or other types of bioabsorbable sutures were utilized. “Tests on rats show that this suture can help wounds heal faster by almost 50%, by creating an electric field through the object’s natural movements,” Hou stated.
The research team is currently conducting clinical trials to test the sutures in humans, noting that this new type of suture has a similar cost to commercial absorbable sutures.
Expert Opinions
Dr. Karen Wright of Lancaster University, who was not involved in the work, remarked on the innovation of the new sutures, emphasizing that a charge is generated by movement.
“In this way, the benefits are twofold, as there is no need for external electrical application or battery-operated systems, and the material is degradable in situ,” she noted.
As this groundbreaking research progresses, it promises to bring significant advancements in surgical techniques and patient outcomes. We encourage readers to share their thoughts in the comments below about the implications of these new sutures for the future of wound care.