Plasma rich in growth factors, biological gold

When a tissue receives an aggression, self-defense mechanisms are set in motion that integrate tissue repair to restore the integrity of the injured tissue and heal the injury. A large number of medical and surgical complications are due to insufficient or defective repair mechanisms, so achieving a rapid and effective repair that allows the patient to return to normal life is the goal of these therapies.

And the star treatments in this field are: plasma rich in growth factors and stem cell treatment.

Growth factors

Growth factors (GFs) are proteins that regulate key processes of tissue repair and exert diverse 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 or challenge response function.

Platelets (the cells that plug wounds preventing bleeding) that readily invade regions adjacent to an injured tissue are rich carriers of growth factors and these are released from platelets becoming potent initiators of the cascade of events leading to healing, while diffusing rapidly from the site of injury. They are found accumulated in small granules (alpha granules) within platelets.

Plasma refers to the liquid portion of the blood in which organic and inorganic substances float. To give us an idea, the weight of plasma in a person weighing around 70 kg is around 3.5 kg.

Currently, the administration of plasma rich in platelets (which in turn carry growth factors), obtained by a simple processing of a small amount of blood taken from the patient, has multiple indications in important pathologies. Fractures; wounds; diabetic, decubitus or vascular ulcers; tendon ruptures, muscle injuries… are indications widely documented in multiple scientific publications in which the positive role of growth factors in stimulating repair and accelerating the processes that culminate in the healing of the injured tissue is endorsed.

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Growth factors are especially indicated if these pathologies are located in the context of patients suffering from diseases that impair repair (diabetes, immunosuppression, aging…) since their efficacy is then greater. Even in pathologies linked to wear and tear and degenerative phenomena such as some types of osteoarthritis, in certain patients, they have shown encouraging results thanks to the ability of growth factors to stimulate tissue synthesis, from the injured articular cartilage and the synovial membrane that internally covers the joint capsule (once the growth factors are administered inside the joint) and to their potential to eliminate the presence of molecules that have a negative influence on the joint by developing inflammation and osteoarthritis.