Frog glue could mend knees.

In article <[email hidden]>,

TomR Wheeler said:

A sticky substance from the skin of frogs could be used to repair
human knee joints, scientists believe. ...
The glue is secreted by two species of burrowing Australian frogs of the
Notaden genus that live one metre underground.
These frogs only surface during torrential rain.

And coincidentally a few years ago this rec.running contributor was on
a field trip with a colleague who knew about this research. I caught
several frogs (got my hands "glued"😉 and we passed them for use in
this research.

Andrew

WARNING: The side effects are warts on your knees.

[email hidden] (TomR Wheeler) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

BBC NEWS / HEALTH
Health Contents: Medical notes
Friday, 8 October, 2004, 13:39 GMT 14:39 UK
'Frog's glue' could mend knees
A sticky substance from the skin of frogs could be used to repair
human knee joints, scientists believe.
Australian researchers have already repaired torn cartilage on the knees
of 10 sheep with this natural glue, which frogs use to trap insects.
They told New Scientist how it was far stronger than medical adhesives
in current use.
The University of Adelaide team, with colleagues in Melbourne, is
attempting to make its own version.
Sticky substance
The glue is secreted by two species of burrowing Australian frogs of the
Notaden genus that live one metre underground.
These frogs only surface during torrential rain.
At these times they are vulnerable to attack from insects.
To protect themselves they secrete a glue that gums up the jaws of the
biting insects and traps them to their skin, which they later eat.
" We assumed the substance would be toxic, but when we found it wasn't,
it made sense to explore it as a medical adhesive "
Environmental biologist Mike Tyler
Environmental biologist Mike Tyler and his team tested the glue.
"We assumed the substance would be toxic, but when we found it wasn't,
it made sense to explore it as a medical adhesive."
They found it hardened within seconds and stuck well, even in moist
environments.
When set, it was flexible and had a porous structure that should make it
permeable to gas and nutrients, which would encourage healing.
Knee repair
Mr Tyler teamed up with orthopaedic surgeon George Murrell of the
University of New South Wales to test the glue in sheep with torn knee
cartilage.
This cartilage, also found in human joints, acts as a shock absorber.
Knee cartilage can be damaged during sports and can be difficult to
repair surgically.
Current synthetic adhesives are strong but they are somewhat toxic and
form rigid, non-porous films that can hinder wound healing.
Biological glues tend to be too weak to fix parts of the body that have
to withstand strong forces and wear and tear.
However, the frog glue held the damaged cartilage together well in the
sheep.
A spokesman from Arthritis Care said: "This is a fascinating and
encouraging development which would appear to be worthy of taking
further.
"Many people with arthritis would also prefer the idea of natural
substances being used in the scaffolding of a joint.
"However, only when such interventions reach the stage of being trialled
among significant numbers of people will we really know whether the idea
is as problem-free as it sounds."
Working with colleagues at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organisation in Melbourne, the scientists have characterised a
key component of the glue and are now developing a genetically
engineered version of this protein.
The findings were presented at a combined biological societies meeting,
ComBio 2004, in Perth.
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University of Adelaide
Arthritis Care
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