This little mouse could hold the key to a future medical revolution!

Monica Sousa is a seasoned scientist, but she can hardly believe what is happening in front of her eyes. On the couch in front of her was a small plastic cage that a few weeks ago had housed rats with hemiplegia, which could only drag their hind legs to move. But somehow, the mice can now run around and even dance like never before. In fact, after the mice were injured, Sousa received no treatment at all, except for painkillers.

African spiny rat.

This surprised Monica Sousa, because she had never before observed or studied this phenomenon in mammals. Mammals, from small rodents to humans, are often incapable of self-healing after severe spinal cord or other central nervous system damage. But it seems that the African spiny mouse is an exception.

In recent years, scientists have discovered that the African spiny mouse has extraordinary regenerative abilities, which can repair severe damage to the skin, heart, kidneys and spinal cord. The African spiny mouse is a rodent, closely related to the lab rat, which is commonly found in arid habitats in African countries such as Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania.

The African spiny mouse is one of many species that has the ability to regenerate vital parts of the body.

Monica Sousa, who studies nerve regeneration at the University of Porto in Portugal, and her colleagues then documented the spiny rat's extraordinary spinal cord repair ability in a published paper. this early year. Within weeks, the African spiny rats recovered from their paralysis.

In addition to mammals, there are quite a few species that have the ability to regenerate important parts of the body. Regeneration is a special form of wound healing, this ability can regenerate lost tissue and avoid excessive scarring, allowing the damaged body part to function as well as before. when recovering. For example, salamanders, flatworms, zebrafish, and some jellyfish can reproduce relatively large and complex parts of their bodies. Newly hatched crocodiles can also regrow severed tails, according to a study published in 2020. However, none of these animals are genetically as closely related to us as the spiny mouse.

Many researchers believe these reincarnated animals may hold biological secrets that could help usher in a new medical revolution and advance the treatment of severe limb injuries and degenerative diseases. . After decades of studying some of these animals, scientists still haven't figured out how to regenerate vital body parts.

It is hoped that research in certain animal species, such as the African spiny mouse, will lead to the development of new medical treatments to improve wound healing in patients.

In 2011, Ashley Seifert, still a student at the University of Florida (now an assistant professor of biology at the University of Kentucky) veterinarian Elliott Jacobson donated 40 African spiny rats and these tiny animals later. became the basis for Seifert's related research.

He had previously had the opportunity to know and come into contact with this animal during a research trip in Kenya. Seifert discovered that even a very light grip could cause the rat to lose its skin, along with its thick fur and spines.

By observing how African spiny rats reacted after shedding their skin, and in a control experiment, their ears recovered after being punctured with tiny holes. Following various observations, Seifert made some surprising discoveries: During recovery from this type of injury, African spiny rats appeared to possess more energy. The wounds on their ears not only heal by forming scar tissue but also progressing further, forming new tissue including hair follicles, body fat and cartilage.

"I was really shocked when I saw the new hairs growing through the microscope," Seifert recalls. He took skin samples of African spiny rats for laboratory analysis. In the same study, Seifert and colleagues found that the skin of African spiny rats was unusually fragile. The team published the results of this study in 2012. After gaining insight into the regenerative abilities of the African spiny mouse, Seifert set up a more in-depth study plan, and quickly began using the team. the salvation he got from Jacobson.

There are many other things that can happen during regeneration.

It took about a decade after Seifert's results were published before a handful of other researchers became interested in spiny rats. For example, a well-known paper published in 2021 describes how African spiny rats recover from severe kidney damage that, in other rodents, can lead to systemic organ failure.

The researchers speculate that African spiny rats have evolved the ability to shed their skin to avoid predators trying to capture them. However, the ability to regenerate in the wild may have other benefits, such as allowing them to tolerate large numbers of parasites. Whatever the reason, the most surprising thing is that they have evolved abilities rarely seen in other mammals. But in a recently unpublished study, Seifert found that a closely related rodent to the African spiny mouse, the Lophuromys rat, appears to have similar regenerative abilities.

Since 2012, many scientists have built their own studies on Seifert's work. Their discovery surprised Seifert. The paper by Sousa and colleagues on spinal cord regeneration in spiny rats was particularly impressive: In their experiment, the spinal cords of about 10 rats with spines were completely severed; All restored full mobility.

In countries like Portugal or the United States, scientists also conduct such experiments, however they must undergo rigorous approval by an ethics committee. Sousa emphasized that all of the rats were given painkillers and that their general health was taken into account at each step of the trial.

Studies show that spiny rats heal wounds very quickly, which may cause them to not form much (or no) scar tissue, but instead to regenerate missing body parts. Researchers believe macrophages play a role, but the exact cause of this remains unclear. Macrophages swallow up invading bacteria and also help control the immune response to damaged tissue.

Unlike humans and many other animals, when African spiny rats are injured, they seem to deploy only certain types of macrophages, which help heal the wound without causing excessive inflammation and scar tissue formation. "Macrophages are the main contributors to the increase and decrease of inflammation," explains Seifert.

However, many other things can happen during regeneration. For example, Sousa and colleagues discovered a particular enzyme in the regeneration of the spinal cord of African spiny rats, but they still didn't know which cells expressed the gene.

And it can be said that the nature of the regeneration of the African spiny mouse is still largely unexplored, so the development of new medical treatments based on research works is still a bit difficult. error.

Although the path to a revolutionary drug or therapy based on African spiny mouse research may be long and uncertain, scientists believe the possibility is too important to be considered. skip. Because once successful, it will definitely change the lives of many people.