Medical Oddities: Sheep wool gets into bone repair

From sheep wool to space guts, cannabis beats to tea: science took a wonderfully weird turn.

To test keratin-based membranes derived from sheep wool as an alternative to collagen for guided bone regeneration.

Cell Viability Testing: Researchers tested keratin membranes with human bone marrow stromal cells.
Animal Study: Conducted experiments on 42 male rats with 6-mm critical-size calvarial defects.

All keratin membranes supported cell viability.
M-Ker5TE1 and highly crosslinked Ker5H3 showed strong metabolic activity and osteogenic gene expression.
Ker5 films effectively kept fibroblasts at the surface, acting as a barrier against soft-tissue cell infiltration.
After 8 weeks, collagen produced the greatest overall bone volume at 29.13 mm³, while Ker5 produced 17.73 mm³.
Histology revealed defect bridging, lamellar-like bone, Haversian-like canals, and organized collagen architecture in Ker5.

No signs of inflammation were observed after keratin implantation, indicating biocompatibility.

Findings remain preclinical.
Degradation, mechanical performance, and immune responses of keratin membranes need further investigation.

The study suggests potential for sheep wool in orthopedic applications, though further research is required.