Cadaver grafts, laminated metallic materials, and synthetic fabrics have been evaluated as dural substitutes. Use of cadaver tissues is limited by fear of transmission of infectious disease while use ...of synthetic materials is associated with implant encapsulation and foreign body reactions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of collagen film as a dural substitute. Collagen films prepared from bovine skin were used to replace the dura of rabbits and histological observations were made at 16, 28, 42, and 56 days postimplantation. Controls consisted of dura that was removed and then reattached. Control dura showed no signs of inflammation or adhesion to underlying tissue at 16 and 28 days postimplantation. By 56 days postimplantation, extensive connective tissue deposition was observed in close proximity to adjacent bone as well as pia arachnoid adhesions. Implanted collagen film behaved in a similar manner to control dura showing minimal inflammatory response at all time periods. At 56 days postimplantation collagen film appeared strongly infiltrated by connective tissue cells that deposited new collagen. The results of this study suggest that a reconstituted type I collagen film crosslinked with cyanamide acts as a temporary barrier preventing loss of fluid and adhesion formation. It is replaced after approximately 2 months with host collagen with limited inflammatory and fibrotic complications. Further studies are needed to completely characterize the new connective tissue formed as well as long-term biocompatibility and functioning of a reconstituted collagen dural substitute.
Collagen sponges seeded with fibroblasts have been used as a soft tissue substitute in wound healing applications. This biomaterial is a good in vitro analog of a connective tissue. Therefore, ...analysis of the properties of this material may be useful for theoretically modeling soft tissues. Stress-strain curves for such cell-seeded collagen sponges were measured to determine composite stiffness and ultimate tensile strength. Theoretical modeling was done by defining a particle-reinforced matrix using the composite sphere model. A system of uniaxially oriented fibers was then introduced to this equivalent homogeneous media and material properties were determined using the composite cylinder model. Geometric averaging was performed to yield the stiffness and Poissons' ratio for a composite with randomly oriented fibers. Inputs to the model were constituent material properties, cell volume fraction, and fiber volume fraction. From theoretical results, material properties of soft tissues and their substitutes depend on fiber mechanical properties and volume fraction and not cellular mechanical properties and volume fraction. Therefore, the increase in experimentally observed composite stiffness with increased cell number was due to deposition of newly synthesized stiffer collagen fibers, and not due to the physical presence of cells themselves.
Rapid fibroblast ingrowth and collagen deposition occurs in a reconstituted type I collagen matrix that is implanted on full-thickness excised animal dermal wounds. The purpose of this study is to ...evaluate the effects of direct current stimulation on dermal fibroblast ingrowth using carbon fiber electrodes incorporated into a collagen sponge matrix. Preliminary results suggest that fibroblast ingrowth and collagen fiber alignment are increased in collagen sponges stimulated with direct currents between 20 and 100 microA. Maximum fibroblast ingrowth into the collagen sponge is observed near the cathode at a current of 100 microA. These results suggest that electrical stimulation combined with a collagen matrix may be a method to enhance the healing of chronic dermal wounds.
