SPLENIC RESPONSE TO SILICON DRAIN MATERIAL FOLLOWING INTRAPERITONEAL IMPLANTATION

To study the splenic response to intraperitoneal biomaterials, 100% si licon rubber drain fragments were intraperitoneally implanted in the r at. Four days after implantation, specimens of the spleen and implante d rubber fragment were retrieved and subjected to scanning electron mi croscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX). In SEM , macrophages with membrane fusion and cytoplasmic spreading were note d on the surfaces of implanted rubber fragments. Specimens of the sple en from animals with implants showed light 3-10-mu m structures that w ere not observed in those without implants. EDX revealed the presence of silicon both in the rubber fragment and in the spleen of the implan ted animals. Both light microscopy and transmission electron microscop y showed a large number of particles inside giant cells of the spleen. The present study demonstrated an active transport of rubber fragment s containing silicon from the peritoneal cavity to the spleen by adher ent macrophages, reflecting a splenic response to intraperitoneal impl antation of biomaterials. The modes of silicon rubber degradation and transportation remain to be elucidated. (C) 1994 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.