Biodegradation and histological response of PHBV porous scaffolds

ELIDA HERMIDA; IGNACIO RUIZ; ALICIA BALDESSARI; ERICA KREIMANN; RÓMULO CABRINI; GUILLERMO JUVENAL; GLADYS HERMIDA; MANUEL FUNGUEIRO

BIOCELL

INST HISTOL EMBRIOL-CONICET

Lugar: Mendoza; Año: 2012 vol. 36 p. 9 - 9

0327-9545

Temporary scaffolds for tissue engineering require bioabsorbable materials that degrade into non-toxic substances once the tissue is repaired. Furthermore, these materiales must have suitable mechanical properties to prevent friability, adapt to anatomical contours, facilitate handling by surgeons and last but not least, a proper surface to enhance the adhesion, motility and proliferation of cells and the interaction with the surrounding tissue. Since polyhydroxyalkanoates satisfy these properties, many researchers have focused on them to build up bioabsorbable scaffolds to be harvested with osteoblasts, fibroblasts, vascular cells, among others. One of the drawbacks of these biopolyesters, particularly polyhydroxybutyrate-cohydroxyvalerate (PHBV), is the slow bioabsorption rate, which affects negatively the formation of the new tissue. Thus, the aim of this work is to evaluate how the degradation rate depends on the meso-structures and the media; measurements include dry weight of samples stored at 37ºC and pH 7.4 in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and PBS with lipases as well as changes in the molecular weight of PHBV. Furthermore, from H&E-stained sections, the toxicity and inflammatory response after subcutaneous implantation of porous PHBV scaffolds on rats at 1 week, 1 month and 2 and half month post implantation are determined.