Heal wounds with light : This science fiction scenario could be become reality thanks to gold nanoparticles which, inserted into the fabrics and illuminated with infrared rays, emit small amounts of heat going to stimulate the activation of stem cells . Their effectiveness was tested on an invertebrate well known for its regenerative abilities, the hydra in the study published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials by the ‘Eduardo Caianiello’ Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems of the National Research Council of Pozzuoli (Cnr-Isasi), in collaboration with the Institute of Nanosciences and Materials of Aragon in Spain.
“One of the objectives of regenerative medicine it is the possibility of reactivate stem cells in injured tissue and promote the processes that lead to regeneration rather than sheltered, which rarely manages to restore the morphology and functionality of the tissue”, says Claudia Tortiglione, Cnr-Isasi researcher who coordinated the Italian group.
Light and heat are among the most promising tools : their effects in promoting the regeneration process are well known, so much so that “in our daily lives we apply hot compresses or thermal patches to reduce inflammation, relieve pain and improve blood circulation”, recalls the expert. To verify this, the researchers decided to use an invertebrate organism as an experimental model, the Hydra vulgaris whose tissue regeneration potential is maximum.
It was thus possible to demonstrate that the treatment with ‘nanoheaters’, i.e heat-producing nanomaterials when they are stimulated by light increases the speed of regeneration of the Hydra head, the reproductive capacity and the proliferation rate of the animal’s stem cells. “These results, which straddle nanophotonics and regenerative biology, open up new strategies for regenerative medicine that will allow us to use light for wound healing,” concludes Tortiglione.
