Chinese researchers have developed a suture that electrically stimulates the wound when it is under tension, as happens during movement.

The most common therapy for deep and big skin wounds is sutures, which physically reunite the cells on each side of the wound to allow them to repair the damage. In their absence, injuries have a higher chance of infection, heal more slowly, and leave bigger scars.

However, they have some issues of their own. They can be opened by movement of the affected area, and once they have served their purpose, doctors typically need to remove them. Researchers at China's Donghua University have found solutions to both of those issues in a recent study.

A specific mechanoelectrical fiber is used to create the new sutures. In essence, electric fields are created when the fiber's core and sheath layers come into contact and split apart due to movement; this has been demonstrated in earlier studies to hasten healing.

Rats with wounds and artificial muscle fibers were used in a number of studies the researchers conducted with the suture, reports Guardian.

The findings show that its components get electrically charged when the sutures are stretched and the core moves inside the sheath; this is the same process that happens, for instance, when a balloon is rubbed against hair.

“The suture generates electricity by creating opposite charges on the suture’s middle and outer shell when muscles relax and contract, based on the triboelectric effect,” Hou said. “This generates an electric field at the wound site to accelerate wound healing.”

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While movement can strain and hinder how well traditional stitches work, it can be a benefit for the new sutures.

Through research in a petri dish, the scientists discovered that the presence of an electrical field enhanced the rates at which cells multiplied and moved to the area surrounding the sutures, while electrical stimulation also decreased the growth of bacteria.

In their experiments with rats, the researchers also discovered that cuts in their muscles held together with the new sutures had fewer bacteria and healed more quickly than those stitched with regular bioabsorbable sutures. The team notes that this is significant in lowering the risk of postoperative infections.

Compared to when no sutures or alternative bioabsorbable sutures were used, the wounds were nearly fully healed after ten days. "This suture can help wounds heal faster by almost 50% by creating an electric field through the object's natural movements," according to Hou's tests on rats.