Plasma rich in growth factors, the biological gold
Written by:When a tissue receives an attack , self-defense mechanisms are put in place that integrate tissue repair to restore the integrity of the injured tissue and cure the injury. A large number of medical and surgical complications are due to inadequate or defective repair mechanisms, so getting a fast and effective repair that allows the patient to return to their normal life is the goal of these therapies.
And the star treatments in this field are: the plasma rich in growth factors and the treatment with stem cells .
Growth factors
Growth factors (FC) are proteins that regulate the key processes of tissue repair and exert various effects on cell growth, metabolism, locomotion, contractility and cell differentiation, which are essential for the repair of damaged tissues. They are secreted by many cell types as a basal function or response to a challenge.
Platelets (the cells that plug the wounds preventing bleeding) that promptly invade the regions adjacent to an injured tissue, are rich carriers of growth factors and these are released from the platelets becoming powerful initiators of the cascade of events that direct to healing, while they spread rapidly from the site of the injury. They are accumulated in small granules (alpha granules) inside the platelets.
When we speak of plasma we refer to the liquid portion of the blood in which organic and inorganic substances float. To get an idea. the weight of the plasma in a person of around 70 kg, is around 3.5 kg.
Currently, the administration of platelet-rich plasma (which in turn vehicles growth factors), obtained by simple processing of a small amount of blood extracted to the patient, has multiple indications in important pathologies.. The fractures; the wounds; diabetic, decubitus or vascular ulcers; tendon ruptures, muscle injuries ... are indications widely documented in multiple scientific publications that endorse the positive role of growth factors to stimulate repair and accelerate the processes that culminate in the healing of injured tissue.
The growth factors are indicated especially if these pathologies are located in the context of patients suffering from diseases that impair repair (diabetes, immunosuppression, aging ...) since then its effectiveness is greater. Even in pathologies linked to wear and degenerative phenomena as in some types of osteoarthritis, in certain patients, they have shown encouraging results thanks to the faculty of growth factors in stimulating tissue synthesis, from the injured articular cartilage and the synovial membrane that internally covers the joint capsule (once the growth factors are administered within the joint) and its potential to eliminate the presence of molecules that negatively influence the joint, developing inflammation and osteoarthritis.
