What happens to an acellular dermal matrix after implantation in the human body? A histological and electron microscopic study

Submitted: 14 November 2017
Accepted: 3 January 2018
Published: 22 January 2018
Abstract Views: 2204
PDF: 1040
HTML: 91
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

Acellular matrices are used for various purposes and they have been studied extensively for their potential roles in regenerating tissues or organs. The acellular matrix generates physiological cues that mimic the native tissue microenvironment. Acellular dermal matrix (ADM) is a soft connective tissue graft generated by a decellularization process that preserves the intact extracellular skin matrix. Upon implantation, this structure serves as a scaffold for donor-side cells to facilitate subsequent incorporation and revascularization. In breast reconstruction, ADM is used mainly for lower pole coverage and the shaping of a new breast. It helps control the positioning of the implant in the inframammary fold, and prevent the formation of contractile pseudocapsule around the breast implant. In this study, we provide a comprehensive histological description of ADM used for human breast reconstruction over the course of several months following implementation. Using immunohistochemical methods (a panel of 12 antibodies) coupled with optical and transmission electron microscopy, we confirmed that the original acellular dermal matrix became recolonized by fibroblasts and myofibroblasts, and also by various other free cells of the connective tissue (lymphocytes, macrophages and multinucleated giant cells, granulocytes, mast cells) after implantation into the patient’s body. Within the implanted ADM, there was a relatively rapid ingrowth of blood vessels. Lymphatic vessels were only detected in one case 9 months after the implantation of the ADM. These results suggest that lymphangiogenesis is a longer process than angiogenesis.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

Supporting Agencies

VEGA Research Grants No. 1/0271/17 and No. 1/0297/14 from the Slovak Ministry of Education.

How to Cite

Boháč, M., Danišovič, Ľuboš, Koller, J., Dragúňová, J., & Varga, I. (2018). What happens to an acellular dermal matrix after implantation in the human body? A histological and electron microscopic study. European Journal of Histochemistry, 62(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/ejh.2018.2873

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Publication Facts

Metric
This article
Other articles
Peer reviewers 
2
2.4

Reviewer profiles  N/A

Author statements

Author statements
This article
Other articles
Data availability 
N/A
16%
External funding 
N/A
32%
Competing interests 
N/A
11%
Metric
This journal
Other journals
Articles accepted 
57%
33%
Days to publication 
68
145

Indexed in

Editor & editorial board
profiles
Academic society 
N/A