Characterization of the Foreign Body Response to Common Surgical Biomaterials in a Murine Model.

Background: Implanted biomaterials are subject to a significant reaction from the host, known as the foreign body response (FBR). We quantified the FBR to five materials following subcutaneous implantation in mice.

Materials And Methods: Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and silicone sheets are considered highly biocompatible biomaterials and were cut into 8mm-diameter disks.

Biostable electrospun microfibrous scaffolds mitigate hypertrophic scar contraction in an immune-competent murine model.

Unlabelled: Burn injuries in the United States account for over one million hospital admissions per year, with treatment estimated at four billion dollars. Of severe burn patients, 30-90% will develop hypertrophic scars (HSc). In this study, we evaluate the impact of an elastomeric, randomly-oriented biostable polyurethane (PU) scaffold on HSc-related outcomes.

Mitigation of hypertrophic scar contraction via an elastomeric biodegradable scaffold.

Hypertrophic scar (HSc) occurs in 40-70% of patients treated for third degree burn injuries. Current burn therapies rely upon the use of bioengineered skin equivalents (BSEs), which assist in wound healing but do not prevent HSc contraction. HSc contraction leads to formation of a fixed, inelastic skin deformity.

Angiotensin II stimulates canonical TGF-β signaling pathway through angiotensin type 1 receptor to induce granulation tissue contraction.

Unlabelled: Hypertrophic scar contraction (HSc) is caused by granulation tissue contraction propagated by myofibroblast and fibroblast migration and contractility. Identifying the stimulants that promote migration and contractility is key to mitigating HSc. Angiotensin II (AngII) promotes migration and contractility of heart, liver, and lung fibroblasts; thus, we investigated the mechanisms of AngII in HSc.