Scientists have found that wool-derived keratin could become a sustainable and effective biomaterial for repairing damaged bones.
The study examined keratin, a strong natural protein that can be extracted from wool. In live-animal tests, wool-based keratin supported bone regeneration and produced new tissue that more closely resembled healthy, naturally formed bone than tissue created with conventional materials.
Researchers at King’s College London tested the wool-derived keratin in animal models and found that it helped stimulate new bone growth across areas of injury.
“We are really excited to be able to show for the first time how a wool-based material has been successfully tested in a live animal to repair bone,” said Dr. Sherif Elsharkawy of the Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences at King’s College London.
Wool offers a sustainable material for bone repair
In addition to its potential medical applications, wool could provide significant sustainability benefits. Wool is a naturally occurring material that is often discarded as agricultural waste, making it a potentially renewable, widely available and scalable resource for regenerative medicine.
For decades, collagen has been considered the gold-standard scaffold for many regenerative medicine and dental procedures. These scaffolds create a protective barrier during healing, preventing soft tissue from entering the damaged area while leaving space for new bone to form.
However, collagen also has limitations. The material is relatively weak and can break down quickly, reducing its effectiveness when repairing bones that must support weight or withstand mechanical stress. Extracting collagen can also be a complex and expensive process.
“From a research perspective, this is a major milestone. It positions keratin as a new class of regenerative biomaterial that has the potential to challenge our long-standing reliance on collagen,” said Dr. Sherif Elsharkawy.
Researchers test wool keratin as a bone scaffold
To determine whether keratin could overcome some of collagen’s limitations, the researchers created membranes using keratin extracted from wool. The material was chemically treated to produce scaffolds designed to be stable, durable and suitable for supporting bone regeneration.
Scientists first tested the keratin membrane in the laboratory with human bone cells. The cells grew effectively on the material and displayed clear biological markers linked to healthy bone formation.
The researchers then conducted animal experiments by implanting keratin membranes into rats with skull defects too large to heal naturally. Over several weeks, they monitored how effectively the scaffold supported new bone growth across the damaged areas.
Keratin supports more naturally organized bone growth
The results showed important differences between keratin and collagen scaffolds. Although the collagen membrane generated a greater overall volume of bone, the bone formed with the keratin scaffold was more organized and structurally stable. Its fibers were also better aligned, making the regenerated tissue more similar to natural, healthy bone.
The keratin membrane remained stable throughout the healing process and integrated smoothly with the surrounding tissue. Both characteristics could be essential if wool-based keratin is developed for future clinical bone repair treatments.
“We have effectively demonstrated this technology in an animal model, which takes this far beyond the initial material concept. We have shown that keratin can support bone regeneration in living biological systems, bringing this technology significantly closer to use in real patients,” Dr. Elsharkawy concluded.
Source: www.sciencedaily.com