Poly-L-lactide has been used previously as degradable stitches and in drug delivery. Now researchers at Tokyo’s Waseda University have used the biodegradable material to develop nanosheets for suture treatment.
The study team applied the sheets to incisions made in mice stomachs. The wound healed without scarring or tissue adhesion.
Findings were published in the journal Advanced Materials. Shinji Takeoka, professor in the Department of Life Science and Medical Bioscience at Waseda University said, “This approach would constitute an ideal candidate for an alternative to conventional suture/ligation procedures, from the perspective not only of a minimally invasive surgical technique but also reduction of operation times,”
The nanosheets (only about 20 nanometers in thickness) could be used for general wound dressing, but may be particularly useful in plastic surgery, endoscopic surgery, and regenerative medicine. Clinical trials could still be several years away.
News link: http://www.plasticsurgerypractice.com/eReport/2009-08-17_05.asp
