Poly-L/D-lactide (PLDLA) 96/4 fibrous implants: histological evaluation in the subcutis of experimental design.

ABSTRACT

Poly-L/D-lactide (PLDLA) 96/4 fibrous implants have been introduced to engineer functional fibrous constructions in situ. The current study was undertaken to evaluate the guidance of the fibrous tissue formation and the tissue reaction of porous PLDLA 96/4 scaffolds implanted in subcutaneous tissue. Three various PLDLA 96/4 knitted-mesh scaffolds (Loose, Ordinary, and Dense) were implanted subcutaneously in 32 rats, and followed-up from 3 days until 48 weeks postsurgery. Histological examination showed that PLDLA 96/4 scaffolds provided a structurally supporting element for 48 weeks. They were filled with fibrous tissue by 3 weeks. During the follow-up, loose connective tissue was organized into dense connective tissue with thick collagen bundles. At 48 weeks, no statistically significant difference was found in the amount of loose or dense connective tissue between the scaffold groups of various porosities, although the tendency for higher amounts of loose connective tissue was seen in the Loose type scaffolds. PLDLA filament diameters were 121 mum at 2 weeks, 119 mum at 24 weeks and 116 mum at 48 weeks (P = 0.03 between 2 and 48 weeks). Porous PLDLA scaffold induced fibrous tissue formation in situ. This can be exploited in engineering fibrous tissue constructs in vivo for tissue support or replacement purposes.