A new class of clay nanoparticles can lead human mesenchymal stem cells to develop into bone or cartilage cells, Futurity reports.
Here are five things to know.
1. The researchers demonstrated that two-dimensional nanoparticles known as nanosilicates can grow bone and cartilage tissue from stem cells in the absence of growth factors.
2. The use of growth factors in the human body can have harmful side effects including unwanted tissue growth.
3. The nanosilicates are similar in shape to flaxseed — and 10 billion times smaller.
4. The researchers used the next-generation sequencing technology RNA-seq to assess presence and quantity of RNA in a biological sample at a given moment. Interactions between the cell and nanosilicates can lead to changes observable by this technique.
5. The stem cells presented signaling usually observed during bone and cartilage regeneration, indicate the potential use of nanoparticles in osteoarthritis and orthopedic injury treatment.
Here are the findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
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