Early biocompatibility of crosslinked and non-crosslinked biologic meshes in a porcine model of ventral hernia repair

Abstract

Purpose Biologic meshes have unique physical properties as a result of manufacturing techniques such as decellularization, crosslinking, and sterilization. The purpose of this study is to directly compare the biocompatibility profiles of five different biologic meshes, AlloDerm® (non-crosslinked human dermal matrix), PeriGuard® (crosslinked bovine pericardium), Permacol® (crosslinked porcine dermal matrix), Strattice® (non-crosslinked porcine dermal matrix), and Veritas® (non-crosslinked bovine pericardium), using a porcine model of ventral hernia repair. Methods Full-thickness fascial defects were created in 20 Yucatan minipigs and repaired with the retromuscular placement of biologic mesh 3 weeks later. Animals were euthanized at 1 month and the repair sites were subjected to tensile testing and histologic analysis. Samples of unimplanted (de novo) meshes and native porcine abdominal wall were also analyzed for their mechanical properties. Results There were no significant differences in the bio-mechanical characteristics between any of the mesh-repaired sites at 1 month postimplantation or between the native porcine abdominal wall without implanted mesh and the mesh-repaired sites (P > 0.05 for all comparisons). Histologically, non-crosslinked materials exhibited greater cellular infiltration, extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, and neovascularization compared to crosslinked meshes. Conclusions While crosslinking differentiates biologic meshes with regard to cellular infiltration, ECM deposition, scaffold degradation, and neovascularization, the integrity and strength of the repair site at 1 month is not significantly impacted by crosslinking or by the de novo strength/stiffness of the mesh.

Recruitment of Progenitor Cells by an Extracellular Matrix Cryptic Peptide in a Mouse Model of Digit Amputation

“…15,16 Although the mechanisms of ECM scaffold-mediated constructive remodeling are not fully understood, stem cell recruitment 17,18 and the release of bioactive peptides by protease-mediated ECM degradation are thought to play a role in the constructive remodeling process. [19][20][21] In addition to possessing antimicrobial properties, [22][23][24][25] cryptic bioactive peptides derived from degradation of ECM components have been shown to be capable of initiating and potentiating constructive remodeling pathways such as angiogenesis, mitogenesis, and chemotaxis of sitespecific cells. [26][27][28] Degradation products from ECM bioscaffolds have also been shown to recruit progenitor cells in vitro [29][30][31] and in vivo.…”

Shrinkage of Dynamesh IPOM mesh in 6-week follow-up – an experimental study

“…However, in the current comparison of two slow-absorbable sutures (PDS II and Maxon) no significant difference in surface area loss after 6 weeks was found. The above data suggest that type and material of fixation have no significant effect on the mesh shortening process [2,5,7,15,20].…”

“…Therefore, the suggestion of a different reaction to a foreign body in different species persists. However, the groups were relatively small and there are only two reports, which indicates the need for further studies in the field [5,8,10,13,15,[17][18][19].…”

“…However, considering the spread of the published data, scar remodelling in later periods cannot be ruled out, with consequences such as mesh area loss. The period in the current study was 6 weeks, which was also conditional on the assumptions of another study, running in parallel [5,8,10,13,15,[17][18][19]. Additional analysis of mesh shortening distribution was also performed.…”

“…Therefore the secondary goal was to evaluate whether the type of used fixation suture affects shrinkage of the prosthesis [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15].…”