[Tissue reactions during the degradation of polylactide implants in the body].

ABSTRACT

Tissue reactions, accompanying the degradation processes of polylactide (PLA) implants after their placement into the subcutaneous tissue, were studied by the methods of light microscopy in 6 month-old Wag rats (n=24) weighing 180-200 g. It was found that PLA implants became encapsulated by connective tissue. If the implant or its fragment had sharp margins that damaged the tissues, a thick capsule was formed with a distinct inflammatory infiltration and the sclerosis of the surrounding tissues. If the implant had no sharp margins, the capsule was thin, and the activity of inflammation was minimal. In all cases, the giant cells of foreign body type were present in the capsule and next to it. Gradually, during 6 months, the activity of inflammatory process subsided. Inflammation sharply increased 12 months after the implantation, when, as a result of effect of enzymes released by phagocytes and deformation by a capsule, PLA implants were either fragmented or is liquified. PLA-based materials are not totally biodegradable, and may persist in the body for a long time.