Theoretical analysis of in vivo macrophage adhesion and foreign body giant cell formation on polydimethylsiloxane, low density polyethylene, and polyetherurethanes.

Quantitative description of foreign body giant cell (FBGC) formation on implanted polymer surfaces as a function of time can conceivably correlate cell adhesion with polymer properties and possibly predict the behavior of the polymer in vivo. In the present study, the formation of FBGCs on various biomedical polymers was quantified by two parameters: the density of adherent macrophages present initially that participate in FBGC formation (d0) and the rate constant for cell fusion (k); both kinetic parameters were used to calculate the time-dependent FBGC density (dfc). The materials used were: three Pellethane poly(etherurethanes) (PEUs) varying in weight percent of hard segment, one poly(etherurethane urea) (PEUU), and NHLBI-DTB primary reference materials: low density polyethylene (LDPE), silica-free polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The results indicated that up to 5 weeks of implantation, FBGCs were formed from the fusion of one population of adherent macrophages present by 3 days post-implantation. Furthermore, only a small fraction (< 8%) of this initial adherent macrophage population participated in FBGC formation. Based on the results of previous studies and the current study, it was concluded that increase in PEU hard segment weight percent, surface hardness and hydrophobicity increased total protein adsorption and effectively increased d0 and dfc. No further correlations between the material properties of all polymers and the cell kinetics can be made at this time. However, this study demonstrated that macrophage adhesion and FBGC formation can be quantified with the cell fusion model, and are modulated by various polymer properties.