Eggshells are probably one of the most commonly discarded items in kitchens around the world. Once we break an egg to release the yolk and use it in our meals, the eggshells usually end up in the trash. However, these often discarded pieces are made entirely of calcium carbonate, a substance essential for maintaining bone health. Therefore, some people crush eggshells into a fine powder and use them as a natural calcium supplement for their bones.
However, this practice comes with risks; eggs are sometimes contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis, which can cause a salmonella infection if ingested.
For the most part, though, the health potential of eggshells has remained untapped until now. Researchers have used finely crushed eggshells to create a biomaterial that could help bones regenerate after sustained damage.
An innovative process was used in one study to create a medium that could help scientists grow new bone tissue using eggshells.
So far, they have conducted laboratory and in vivo experiments using rat models to test their new process. Still, the scientists believe their biomaterial could be used in humans undergoing treatment for bone injuries in the not-too-distant future.
Clinical potential of kitchen waste
The researchers' innovative process requires adding finely divided eggshells from eggs to a hydrogel mixture. This allows them to form a framework within which bone cells can form new bone.
Because eggshells are made of calcium, this allows bone cells to develop into bone tissue and harden faster. This can also speed healing with bone grafting, a procedure in which experts transplant new bone tissue into damaged bone to allow it to heal.
Although in the new study, the researchers tested the method on mice, they believe it should be safely applicable to humans as well.
In humans, health care professionals will collect bone cells from the person who needs a transplant to ensure that the subsequent tissue matches correctly and that the body does not reject it.
This is the first study to use eggshell particles in a hydrogel matrix for bone repair.
In theory, they could apply the same process to grow other types of tissue, including cartilage, teeth and tendons.
The researchers also explain that using eggshells to grow tissue for transplantation could also encourage more sustainable living as it could help reduce waste.
