BASIC FIBROBLAST GROWTH-FACTOR PRODUCTION IN-VITRO BY MACROPHAGES EXPOSED TO DACRON AND POLYGLACTIN-910

Macrophage activation by implanted bood-contacting biomaterials modula tes smooth muscle cell and endothelial cell ingrowth. The present stud y evaluates the in vitro interactions between Dacron or polyglactin 91 0 with macrophages derived from rabbits fed either normal or atherogen ic diets. Peritoneal macrophages were cultured in the presence or abse nce (negative controls) of either biomaterial for 7 weeks. Conditioned media was evaluated for mitogenic activity using a rabbit aortic smoo th muscle cell bioassay with or without preincubation with neutralizin g anti-basic-FGF antibody. Results demonstrated increased mitogen rele ase from macrophages harvested from the atherosclerotic rabbits. Only macrophages harvested from normal diet fed rabbits increased their mit ogen release following exposure to either polyglactin 910 (p < 0.05) o r to Dacron (p < 0.005) over controls. The stimulation of mitogen rele ase by polyglactin 910 did not significantly exceed that in response t o Dacron. In rabbits fed normal diets neutralization with the anti-bas ic-FGF antibody inhibited 100% of the Dacron induced mitogen release a s compared to 36% of the polyglactin 910 induced mitogen release (p < 0.01). These results demonstrate significant induced mitogen release f rom macrophages exposed to biomaterials in vitro, much of the smooth m uscle cell mitogen represented by basic-FGF.