Time course of fibronectin in the peri-implant tissue and neointima formation after functional implantation of polyester-based vascular prostheses with different porosity in pigs.
Intima hyperplasia, resulting from extracellular matrix (ECM) secretion, can lead to vascular prosthesis occlusion and is a major problem in vascular surgery. Fibronectin might contribute to ongoing ECM secretion. However, the exact role of fibronectin and its influence on neointima formation remains unclear. This study was aimed at investigating the time course of the fibronectin area fraction and neointima formation following the functional implantation of three different polyester vascular prostheses into pigs. The infrarenal aorta from 15 animals (n = 5/group) was replaced by prosthesis segments with low, medium and high primary porosity. After 7, 14, 21, 28 and 116 days, the prostheses were morphometrically examined. Overall, the fibronectin area fraction was inversely correlated with the neointima thickness, demonstrating high fibronectin levels in the early phase (days 7 and 14) and low levels in the later phase with almost complete neointima formation (days 21-116). Throughout the study, fibronectin levels were highest at the proximal anastomosis region. The low porosity prosthesis had the highest fibronectin area fraction and a delayed neointima formation in the middle phase (days 21 and 28) but the highest neointima lining on day 116. The results indicate a relationship between fibronectin and neointima formation with the prosthesis porosity, demonstrating the importance of the textile design for tissue reactions following implantation.
Patrzyk
Maciej
M
Department of Surgery, Ernst Moritz Arndt University Greifswald, Friedrich-Loeffler-Str. 23, D-17489 Greifswald, Germany.
Hoene
Andreas
A
Jarchow
Raymond
R
Wilhelm
Lutz
L
Walschus
Uwe
U
Zippel
Roland
R
Schlosser
Michael
M
D000818:Animals; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000601:surgery; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006965:Hyperplasia / Q000473:pathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D058426:Neointima / Q000378:metabolism*; D011091:Polyesters; D016062:Porosity; D011897:Random Allocation; D013552:Swine; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology
D005353:Fibronectins; D011091:Polyesters