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Study physicians use spinach leaves for the production of artificial heart tissue
Spinach is a very nutritious vegetable that is said to have a positive effect on human health. Researchers have now discovered that spinach also has some physical properties that should delight all biomedicers. The structure of spinach leaves resembles blood vessels in a human heart. Experts have now succeeded for the first time in producing artificial heart tissue with the help of spinach.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Worcester Polytechnic Institute found in an investigation that spinach is capable of producing artificial human heart tissue. The doctors published a press release on the results of their study.
Spinach is healthy and tastes good. Experts found that the leaves of spinach can also be used to make artificial heart tissue. (Image: SirChopin / fotolia.com) Spinach leaves are used to make artificial heart tissue
Popeye already knew that spinach is a kind of super-vegetable. The cranky sailor used the vegetables to develop superhuman powers by consuming them. Of course, spinach is not able to lend people such powers. However, experts have now found out that the structure of spinach leaves is suitable for making artificial heart tissue from it.
Global lack of donor organs
There is a significant shortage of human donor organs around the world. This leads to a big and deadly problem. Dozens of people on donor lists die every day before they get a matching organ, the experts explain. The breeding of compatible donor organs could help those affected and save their lives. However, for artificial organs to grow and function fully, they need blood vessels to maintain vital nutrients and oxygen, the researchers explain.
Production of donor organs in the 3-D printer so far without success
To meet the demand for human donor organs, for example, researchers tried to produce artificial organs by so-called 3-D printers. So far, however, it has not been possible to produce a perfect heart in this way, the researchers report.
Problems with artificial tissue
One of the big problems with artificially manufactured heart muscles is always the blood flow to all cells. The human heart muscle is quite thick. The current technology can not produce any artificial tissue that could replace a damaged heart, where the blood vessels deliver the life-giving oxygen, the authors explain. To artificially produce such a fine network of veins, physicians have considerable difficulties.
Network of vessels on leaf resembles human heart tissue
Instead of producing such tiny blood vessels themselves, the scientists used normal spinach leaves. After stripping the cell material from the tissue, a so-called protein matrix and protein structure remained. The experts used dishwashing liquid for this process. The soap dotted plant cell membranes and washed away the depleted cells. Intact leaf veins and cellulose were retained, say the experts. A plant material that is compatible with mammalian tissue. The structure of the fine network of vessels of the leaf resembled after treatment the human heart tissue, add the physicians.
Heart muscle cells survived on leaves for three weeks
The jars of the vegetables were then enriched with a fluid and molecules similar to our blood. As a next step, the researchers planted so-called heart muscle cells in this unusual environment. The amazing thing was that these cells could survive on the leaf for a period of three weeks. After a while, they even worked like a real human heart, explain the authors.
In the future, damaged heart tissue could be treated with the help of leaves
The study could in future be the basis for the artificial production of blood vessels. In the long term, it could then be used to transplant it into damaged heart tissue, the researchers say.
Further research is needed
However, scientists must first ensure that such plant scaffolds are not rejected by those affected. Further research could make it possible in the future to create a greater thickness by stacking leaves, say the authors. So we can eventually reach a thickness that resembles a human heart wall, the researchers add. (As)