Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7, DK-9220 Aalborg, Denmark.
J Biomed Mater Res A. 2012 Dec;100(12):3400-7. doi: 10.1002/jbm.a.34284. Epub 2012 Jul 6.
Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is the most common type of silicone polymer for the fabrication of implantable medical devices. Because of its inherent hydrophobic nature, the PDMS surface does not readily promote cellular adhesion, which leads to diverse clinical issues. Previously, we reported a simple water vapor plasma treatment of PDMS surfaces that resulted in stable long-term wettability and excellent in vitro cell compatibility. In this work, we report investigation of the in vivo local responses to PDMS implants treated by water vapor plasma using a subcutaneous rat model. The local tissue responses were assessed after 2 and 4 weeks of implantation by means of macroscopic and histomorphometric analysis. After 2 weeks of implantation, the plasma-treated implants elicited the formation of fibrous tissue capsules that were significantly thinner, more adherent, and vascularized than the control counterparts. The improved cell adhesion was correlated with an increased amount of cells attached to the implant surface after retrieval. There was no difference in the inflammatory response between untreated and treated samples. This study provides a rational approach to optimize the long-term performance of silicone implants, which is likely to have a significant impact in clinical applications demanding enhanced tissue integration of the implants.
聚二甲基硅氧烷（PDMS）是用于制造可植入医疗器械的最常见的硅酮聚合物类型。由于其固有疏水性，PDMS 表面不易促进细胞黏附，这会导致各种临床问题。先前，我们报道了一种 PDMS 表面的简单水蒸气等离子体处理方法，该方法可导致稳定的长期润湿性和优异的体外细胞相容性。在这项工作中，我们使用皮下大鼠模型报告了对水蒸气等离子体处理的 PDMS 植入物的体内局部反应的研究。通过宏观和组织形态计量学分析，在植入后 2 和 4 周评估了局部组织反应。植入 2 周后，等离子体处理的植入物引起纤维组织囊的形成，与对照物相比，该纤维组织囊明显更薄、更黏附且更有血管化。改善的细胞黏附与回收后附着在植入物表面的细胞数量增加有关。未处理和处理样品之间的炎症反应没有差异。这项研究为优化硅酮植入物的长期性能提供了合理的方法，这可能对需要增强植入物与组织整合的临床应用产生重大影响。
