title: Evaluation of the humoral and cellular immune responses after implantation of a PTFE vascular prosthesis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The experiment was designed in order to determine the immunological processes that occur during the healing in synthetic vascular grafts, especially to establish the differences in the location of the complement system proteins between the proximal and distal anastomosis and the differences in the arrangement of inflammatory cells in those anastomoses. The understanding of those processes will provide a true basis for determining risk factors for complications after arterial repair procedures.
  
  
  METHODS
  The experiment was carried out on 16 dogs that underwent implantation of unilateral aorto-femoral bypass with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE). After 6 months all animals were euthanized to dissect the vascular grafts. Immunohistochemical assays and electron microscopic examinations were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immunohistochemical findings in the structure of neointima between anastomoses of vascular prostheses demonstrated significant differences between humoral and cellular responses. The area of proximal anastomosis revealed the presence of fibroblasts, but no macrophages were detected. The histological structure of the proximal anastomosis indicates that inflammatory processes were ended during the prosthesis healing. The immunological response obtained in the distal anastomosis corresponded to the chronic inflammatory reaction with the presence of macrophages, myofibroblasts and deposits of complement C3.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The identification of differences in the presence of macrophages and myofibroblasts and the presence of the C3 component between the anastomoses is the original achievement of the present study. In the available literature, no such significant differences have been shown so far in the humoral and cellular immune response caused by the presence of an artificial vessel in the arterial system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular, General and Transplantation Surgery, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland. janskora@wp.pl
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Skóra
authors.forename: Artur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pupka
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dorobisz
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barć
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Korta
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dawiskiba
mesh_terms: D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D000818:Animals; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects; D003094:Collagen / Q000276:immunology; D003167:Complement Activation / Q000276:immunology; D003176:Complement C3 / Q000276:immunology*; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D004285:Dogs; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology*; D058628:Myofibroblasts / Q000276:immunology; D058426:Neointima / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003176:Complement C3; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene; D003094:Collagen; D003165:Complement System Proteins