Scientists at Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU), together with their colleagues from Siberian State Medical University and other Russian scientists, have developed polymer membranes to restore oral mucosa.
The coatings have successfully passed pre-clinical animal tests, showing their effectiveness in tissue regeneration, as well as high antibacterial properties. Besides, the development is significantly cheaper than its foreign analogues.
The research results were published in Applied Surface Science Magazine.
Pathologies of the soft tissues of the maxillofacial area often require surgical intervention. According to old methods, after surgery, the wound surface is left open for healing by secondary tissue tension, or an autograft from another area is used.
Evgeny Bolbasov, the project manager, a researcher at the Laboratory of Plasma Hybrid Systems of TPU, added that foreign analogues are manufactured using costly technology. In Russia, the electrospinning method is used, where a high-intensity electric field produces non-woven fibrous structures.
Non-woven membranes are made of a Russian-made copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and tetrafluoroethylene (VDF-TeFE). Using the electrospinning method, the researchers have managed to significantly reduce the cost of the material and improve its properties.
To modify the membranes, the scientists coated the surface with a copper coating using magnetron sputtering. Copper is a cheap and highly effective broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent.
The manufactured polymer membranes have successfully passed pre-clinical trials in laboratory animals; the researchers have studied their mucous and conducted a series of histological and immunohistochemical tests.
The next stage will imply limited clinical trials, improving the technology, as well as studying the effect of the material’s piezoelectric properties on the regeneration process.
In addition to TPU and the Siberian State Medical University, the research also involved Tomsk State University, the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Aviation Materials, the Zuev Institute of Atmospheric Optics, Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radio-electronics, and the Institute of Strength Physics and Materials Science SB RAS.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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