Bioengineered acellular dermal matrices for the repair of abdominal wall defects in rats.

Abstract

Acellular grafts can be used as a better substitute for the prosthetic meshes in reconstruction of abdominal wall defect. The purpose of study was to develop bioengineered scaffolds by seeding primary mouse embryo fibroblast cells (p-MEF) on decellularized rabbit skin and to test the efficacy of these scaffolds for the repair of abdominal wall defects in rats. The study was conducted on 18 clinically healthy adult Wistar rats of either sex. The animals were randomly divided into two equal groups having nine animals in each group. In both the groups a 20 × 20 mm(2) size full thickness muscle defect was created under xylazine and ketamine anaesthesia in the mid-ventral abdominal wall. In group I the defect was repaired with acellular dermal matrix alone and in group II it was repaired with p-MEF seeded dermal matrix. Matrices were implanted by synthetic absorbable suture material (polyglycolic acid) in continuous suture pattern. The efficacy of the bioengineered matrices in the reconstruction of full thickness abdominal wall defects was evaluated. Macroscopic observations revealed that adhesions with skin and abdominal viscera were found to be less in group II as compared to group I. Immunological reactions were reduced in group II. Histopathological observations also revealed that fibroplasia and collagen fiber arrangement was found to be better in group II. No recurrence of hernia was found in both the groups. On the basis of the results bioengineered cell seeded scaffolds were found to be better than non-cell seeded scaffolds for the repair of abdominal wall defects in rats.