Cutting-Edge Intelligent Medical Sutures Accelerate Wound Healing

Image: Overview concept and material design of the bioabsorbable electrical stimulation suture (BioES-suture) for treating muscle gashes (Photo courtesy of Nature Communications; DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52354-x)

In surgical medicine, sutures are the standard treatment for large incisions, but traditional sutures have functional limitations. Electrical stimulation is a non-drug therapy known to enhance wound healing. Researchers have developed a passive and biodegradable mechanoelectric suture that features a multi-layer coaxial structure made from poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), polycaprolactone, and magnesium, ensuring safe degradation within the body. Alongside its excellent mechanical properties, the suture’s mechanoelectric capability generates electric fields in response to movement and stretching, shown to accelerate wound healing by 50% and reduce infection risks. This innovative approach marks a significant evolution in wound closure methods, offering a degradable device for clinical application.

A research team specializing in chemical fibers and polymer materials, led by Donghua University (Shanghai, China), has developed a continuous, bioabsorbable core-sheath mechanoelectric fiber for use as an electrical stimulation suture (BioES-suture). This suture accelerates the healing of muscle injuries by converting the mechanical energy from movement into effective electrical stimulation. Mechanical tests showed that the BioES-suture meets the strength standards of commercial sutures. Additionally, the modified melt-spinning process tightly encapsulated the pre-assembled core fiber within the sheath, ensuring the BioES-suture could generate electrical output during the healing period.

Therapeutic experiments, both in vivo and in vitro, demonstrated the suture's ability to generate an endogenous electric field at the wound site, stimulating cell proliferation and migration, thereby accelerating wound healing and reducing infection risks. Furthermore, the BioES-suture is made from biocompatible and biodegradable materials, allowing it to be safely absorbed within the body without requiring secondary surgery for removal. This technology is also expected to be applicable for various other internal injuries beyond muscle wounds, advancing the field of biomedical innovation. Published in Nature Communications, this research offers an advanced solution for creating intelligent surgical sutures.