A new step has been taken for regenerative medicine: American researchers have partly regenerated a frog’s leg.
This accomplishment was achieved through a “bioreactor” that delivers progesterone directly to the amputated limb.
Before doing tests in humans, researchers at Tufts University studied the case of a Xenopus, an African frog. In this species, the adult has lost the regenerative capacity that exists in the young. After an amputation, this frog regenerates only a cartilage, in the form of a kind of spine.
For this study, the researchers created a portable bioreactor that releases progesterone. Progesterone is a female sex hormone, but it also has regenerative abilities.
“Progesterone also modulates the immune response to promote healing and triggers the regrowth of blood vessels and bones”, said Celia Herrera-Rincon, lead author of the article.
Just after amputating a hind paw, the bioreactor was sewn at the wound site to release progesterone for 24 hours and then removed. This exposure of only 24 hours had a beneficial and lasting effect on the regrowth of tissues.
Find out more on Cell Reports.
