The Wake Forest University School of Medicine researchers have reported the findings of their study in this issue of Biomaterials. The report details what they found using animals to study the hair protein, called keratin.
In the study they found that when compared to current treatment options that keratin could speed up nerve regeneration and also improve nerve function.
Now doctors treating damaged nerves use several methods. They perform microsurgery to sew the two ends of the nerve together, use a nerve from another part of the body to replace a damaged section, or place an empty tube between the cut ends to allow the nerve fibers to grow through it and back into the muscle, according to PhysOrg.com.
According to Newswise, all those treatment options have drawbacks and limitations.
Grafting a nerve isn't possible in all patients, the tube can't be three or four centimeters, and regeneration isn't always successful even then, additionally, after about age 17 nerves simply don't regenerate well, researchers said in a statement.
For the study, the researchers used a gel made from keratin and said that it worked better than the methods currently being used by doctors.
"We found that the nerve repair happened more quickly and consistently, and that functional recovery was higher," said Mark Van Dyke, Ph.D., senior author and an assistant professor of regenerative medicine. "The fact that we were able to accomplish this with gels made from keratin is pretty remarkable."
Researchers used hair they got from a barbershop, they chemically processed it to get the keratin, purified it and made it into a gel.
They say that keratin signals other cells, called Schwann cells, to grow through a complex process that clears a path for cells to grow.
"By using keratin to activate these cells, we're trying to tap into the natural healing cascade," said Van Dyke. "We believe that keratin helps amp up Schwann cell activity and give the nerve regeneration process a head start."
