PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL BASIS OF SILICONE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY

Silicones, model biomaterials with almost ubiquitous applications, are the focus of a contentious debate. In this review, we will consider b oth established physicochemical phenomena and immunological phenomena; and then consider the human clinical phenomena that relate directly t o them. We will explore the two competing theories of the biological a ctivity of silicones, and we will discuss the weaknesses in the variou s arguments that silicone is inert. We conclude that from a pathophysi ological perspective, silicones should be expected to be bioactive mat erials and that the physicochemical and immunological data at the expe rimental level are compelling.