SUCRALFATE AND BASIC FIBROBLAST GROWTH-FACTOR PROMOTE ENDOTHELIAL-CELL PROLIFERATION AROUND POROUS ALLOPLASTIC IMPLANTS IN-VITRO

Enhanced ingrowth of fibrovascular tissue into alloplastic orbital imp lants is clinically desirable. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) i s an angiogenic factor that promotes proliferation of endothelial cell s, Sucralfate is known to bind bFGF and render it stable by protecting it from degradation. To test the ability of bFGF to stimulate endothe lial cell proliferation, porous orbital implants coated with a sustain ed-release and bioactively-stabilized preparation of the angiogenic pe ptide bFGF were studied. Hydroxyapatite (HA) and porous polyethylene ( PP) implant discs (15 x 3 mm) were coated with sustained-release polym er polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate (hydron), sucralfate (a bFGF stabilize r), hydron plus or hydron/sucralfate plus bFGF. Discs were placed in t issue culture wells plated with 50,000 endothelial cells/well. After 5 days, cells were trypsinized and counted electronically using a Coult er counter. Statistical analysis was performed using unpaired Student' s t-test. Implant discs coated with hydron/sucralfate/bFGF had signifi cantly increased endothelial cell proliferation compared to discs coat ed with hydron alone or hydron/sucralfate (p < 0.05). There was no sig nificant difference in the degree of enhanced proliferation between th e HA and PP implants treated with hydron/sucralfate/bFGF (p > 0.05). M inimal proliferation occurred around discs treated with hydron alone o r hydron/sucralfate. Coating both HA and PP orbital implants with the sustained-release form of sucralfate/bFGF promoted endothelial cell pr oliferation in vitro. The enhanced proliferation with hydron/sucralfat e/bFGF warrants further exploration in an in vivo model.