Medical validation:
January 13, 2023
A new hydrogel treatment appears to be effective in reducing infections occurring after knee or hip replacement surgery.
Surgical procedures on the joints are prone to bacterial infections. And for good reason: bacteria can adhere to the surface of the artificial joint.
If this type of infection is generally treated with antibiotics, researchers may have found a new solution: an injectable antibacterial hydrogel.
Good stability and low toxicity
According to the researchers’ laboratory tests, this hydrogel (a gel in which the swelling agent is water) enriched with black phosphorus would have good stability and low toxicity. It could also be injected quickly.
The hydrogel would also deposit collagen fibers and silver ions in local tissues and promote the growth of new blood cells.
“We have constructed an injectable hydrogel of hyaluronic acid (…) which could contribute to the suppression of persistent infections and the restoration of the biological barriers of infected tissues” advance the researchers, before adding “The injectable hydrogel system can not only solve current clinical problems, such as stubborn infections caused by antibiotic resistance, but also provide new ideas for developing materials capable of treating an infected wound..”
Even better, again according to the results of the study, the injectable hydrogel could eradicate staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium that is commonly found on the skin of patients and can lead to serious infections.
Future research is needed
Nevertheless, further studies are necessary according to the researchers in order to better understand “the underlying mechanisms of the hydrogel“.
“While this research sounds interesting, this treatment will not become common practice right away.“, specifies Dr. Grange, rheumatologist.