Scientists regrow frogs’ amputated limbs for regenerative medicine
2 Min Read
Frogs can now regrow their legs on their own.
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Scientists regrow frogs’ amputated limbs for regenerative medicine.
In a significant advance for regenerative medicine, scientists in the United States have successfully regrown the legs of a group of frogs.
The study is an important step forward in the course of assisting people who have lost limbs, and it opens the door to the possibility of using a similar treatment on humans in the future.
The African clawed frog used in the study didn't have the ability to regenerate a limb naturally, so it was given a 24-hour treatment with a five-drug cocktail. After that quick treatment, an 18-month period of regrowth ensued, restoring function to the leg.
“It’s exciting to see that the drugs we selected were helping to create an almost complete limb,” said Nirosha Murugan, a research affiliate at the Allen Discovery Centre at Tufts and first author of the paper outlining the experiment.
“The fact that it required only a brief exposure to the drugs to set in motion a months-long regeneration process suggests that frogs and perhaps other animals may have dormant regenerative capabilities that can be triggered into action."
What was the process?
A group of 115 adult African clawed frogs was used by the researchers. Each frog's limb was amputated and the frogs were divided into three groups: one received full treatment, one received no treatment as a control, and one received partial treatment.
The frogs' regenerative process was triggered by enclosing the wound in a silicone cap called a BioDome for 24 hours, which contained a silk protein gel loaded with the five-drug cocktail.
Each of the drugs served a different purpose, such as reducing inflammation and promoting the growth of new nerve fibers, blood vessels, and muscle.
The bioreactor assisted in reversing the natural tendency to close off the stump and promoting the regenerative process instead.
Many of the frogs had significant regrowth after just one day of treatment, and this continued for the next 18 months.
The new limbs weren't perfect, but they moved and responded to stimuli, and the frogs were able to use them to swim through the water like a normal frog.
