– Professor Dong-Geun Han’s team at Cha Medical University confirmed the effect of bone tissue regeneration in a rat model with skull defects
| [123RF] |
[헤럴드경제=구본혁 기자] Recently, in the global aging trend, more and more people are complaining of osteoporosis and bone-related diseases. A Korean research team has developed a technology that can help osteoporosis patients regenerate bone tissue without side effects of inflammatory reactions.
The National Research Foundation of Korea announced on the 9th that a research team led by Professor Dong-geun Han of Cha Medical University has developed a biodegradable polymer scaffold containing bioactive substances to help bone tissue regeneration.
In order to regenerate damaged bone tissue, it needs a support to maintain its structure for a certain period of time and to help cells grow and differentiate. However, the existing biodegradable polymer scaffold has a side effect of lowering the acidity of the surrounding tissue after transplantation to induce an inflammatory response of the tissue.
The research team established a strategy to improve the regenerative efficacy of damaged bone tissue by developing a biodegradable polymer scaffold containing physiologically active substances that can promote tissue regeneration.
The research team adopted the DNA fragment mixture PDRN and bone morphogenetic protein BMP2 extracted from salmon germ cells as physiologically active substances to promote tissue regeneration. PDRN is a substance that promotes the recovery of damaged tissues and is effective in regenerating blood vessels. BMP2 is a growth factor approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and is most often used for various bone tissue regeneration such as spinal nonunion and alveolar bone regeneration.
In addition, the extracellular matrix extracted from calf bones was used to mimic the actual bone tissue environment, while magnesium hydroxide was added to minimize the side effects caused by polymer degradation products.
Magnesium hydroxide is a non-toxic ceramic particle that neutralizes acidic degradation products of biodegradable polymers used as supports to suppress inflammation or necrosis of surrounding tissues.
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| A schematic diagram of a bioactive scaffold.[차의과대학 제공] |
It was found that the volume of newly formed bone tissue increased 6 times compared to the existing scaffold after 8 weeks of implanting a biodegradable scaffold containing such a physiologically active material in a rat with a 4mm defect in the skull.
The inflammatory response was reduced by about 20 times, and the number and volume of regenerated blood vessels were restored to a level similar to that of normal mice.
The results of this research conducted with the support of the Basic Research Project of the National Research Foundation of Korea were published on the 8th of December in the international academic journal ‘Science Advances’.
nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com
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