title: Histological and molecular evaluation of iron as degradable medical implant material in a murine animal model.
abstract: A small animal model was established to evaluate the potential of iron as a degradable implant material. After insertion into the tail of mice, the implants gradually degraded over a clinically relevant time period of several months. Histological analysis and gene expression data from whole-genome microarray analyses indicated a limited inflammatory reaction. No evidence of cellular responses to excess iron ions was detected, suggesting that the iron degradation products were metabolically inactive. Iron-rich compounds could be detected in the vicinity of the implant and in individual cells distant from the implantation site. These results demonstrate that the mouse model could be useful for the primary in vivo evaluation of novel implant materials and that iron degradation products can accumulate in diverse organs of the body.
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany. pmu@gbf.de
authors.forename: Peter P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arnold
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Badar
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bormann
authors.forename: Friedrich-Wilhelm
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Bach
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drynda
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meyer-Lindenberg
authors.forename: Hansjörg
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peuster
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D003343:Corrosion; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008422:Materials Testing; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D007501:Iron