RESUMO
Objective: This study aimed evaluating histologically and histomorphometrically the response of the conjunctivetissue face to the implant of chlorhexidine chips in the subcutaneous tissues of rats. Study Design: In this research35 male rats Wistar were used to analyze the biocompatibility and the degradation process of chlorhexidine chip.In each animal, it was made 2 incisions for subcutaneous implantation of chlorhexidine chip (test group) and apolytetrafluorethylene membrane (control group). The morphological changes in subcutaneous implantations wereassessed after 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 21 days. The data were submitted to Friedman nonparametric test to analyze thecomparisons among observation periods and to allow the comparison among groups. Results: Differences werefound in the analysis of the inflammatory response when comparing the tested materials (p values ≤ 0.05). In testgroup was observed hemorrhage, edema and intense inflammatory infiltrate predominantly neutrophilic aroundmaterial. From 3-day and subsequent periods was verified granulation tissue externally at this infiltrate. From10-day on was observed crescent area of degradation of chlorhexidine chip, associated with neutrophilic and macrophagicinfiltrate, that maintained until 21-day. In the control group, moderate inflammatory infiltrate was observedinitially, predominantly polymorphonuclear, edema and granulation tissue 3-day period. The inflammatoryinfiltrate was gradually replaced for granulation tissue, culminating in a fibrous capsule. Giant multinucleate cellssituated at contact interface with the coating was examined since 3-day and persisted until 21-day. Conclusion:The chlorhexidine chip induces an intense acute inflammatory response at subcutaneous tissue of rats. Therefore,at conditions of this study was not biocompatible (AU)
