In-vitro Characterization of a Hernia Mesh Featuring a Nanostructured Coating

Abstract

Abdominal hernia repair is a frequently performed surgical procedure worldwide. Currently, the use of polypropylene (PP) surgical meshes for the repair of abdominal hernias constitutes the primary surgical approach, being widely accepted as superior to primary suture repair. Surgical meshes act as a reinforcement for the weakened or damaged tissues and support tissue restoration. However, implanted meshes could suffer from poor integration with the surrounding tissues. In this context, the present study describes the preliminary evaluation of a PCL-Gel-based nanofibrous coating as an element to develop a multicomponent hernia mesh device (meshPCL-Gel) that could overcome this limitation thanks to the presence of a nanostructured biomimetic substrate for enhanced cell attachment and new tissue formation. Through the electrospinning technique, a commercial PP hernia mesh was coated with a nanofibrous membrane from a polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatin (Gel) blend (PCL-Gel). Resulting PCL-Gel nanofibers were homogeneous and defect-free, with an average diameter of 0.15 ± 0.04 μm. The presence of Gel decreased PCL hydrophobicity, so that membranes average water contact angle dropped from 138.9 ± 1.1° (PCL) to 99.9 ± 21.6°, while it slightly influenced mechanical properties, which remained comparable to those of PCL (E = 15.7 ± 2.7 MPa, σR= 7.7 ± 0.6 εR = 118.8 ± 13.2%). Hydrolytic and enzymatic degradation was conducted on PCL-Gel up to 28 days, with maximum weight losses around 20 and 40%, respectively. The meshPCL-Gel device was obtained with few simple steps, with no influences on the original mechanical properties of the bare mesh, and good stability under physiological conditions. The biocompatibility of meshPCL-Gel was assessed by culturing BJ human fibroblasts on the device, up to 7 days. After 24 h, cells adhered to the nanofibrous substrate, and after 72 h their metabolic activity was about 70% with respect to control cells. The absence of detectable lactate dehydrogenase in the culture medium indicated that no necrosis induction occurred. Hence, the developed nanostructured coating provided the meshPCL-Gel device with chemical and topographical cues similar to the native extracellular matrix ones, that could be exploited for enhancing the biological response and, consequently, mesh integration, in abdominal wall hernia repair.

PDAC-on-chip for in vitro modeling of stromal and pancreatic cancer cell crosstalk

“…The PCL/gel membrane was produced via solution electrospinning in accordance with previously optimized protocols. 35 In brief, a PCL/gel solution at 15% w/v was prepared by mixing the PCL and gel polymers (respectively in the ratio of 80 : 20 w/w) in a mixture of acetic acid and formic acid in the ratio of 1 : 1 v/v. GPTMS (3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane) was added as a gelatin crosslinker to the final solution in a concentration of 3.68% v/v.…”

“…The ductal cancer cells, on the other hand, were seeded in the top layer of the platform and they were allowed to grow on a nanofibrous polycaprolactone/gelatin (PCL/gel) membrane, which represents a biomimetic substrate since the ECM-like architecture typical of the electrospun matrices can support cell adhesion, spreading and functions. [35][36][37][38] The blend of a synthetic thermoplastic polymer (PCL) and a natural polymer (gel) has been widely adopted in the fabrication of nanofibrous scaffolds as it allows the achievement of a combination of suitable mechanical and physicochemical properties with improved biocompatibility. [39][40][41][42] Moreover, the presence of the electrospun membrane in the middle of the chip permits the control of interactions between the two cell lines and the easy analysis of the effects of the crosstalk on cell behavior.…”

Novel Polycaprolactone‐Chitosan Hybrid Scaffold: A Double‐Sided Hernia Mesh for Regeneration of Abdominal Wall Defects with Minimized Adverse Adhesions

“…A hernia mesh with ideal degradation behavior would be capable to sustainably adapt to the biomechanical and physiological environment of the host tissue. [69] Degradation behavior of the scaffolds was evaluated through weight loss measurements in PBS over a 16 weeks period (Figure 6B). The PCL and PCL-CS scaffolds showed distinct weight loss trends that resulted from the obvious differences in their degradation behavior.…”

A Biomaterial Used in the Surgical Area: Hernia Mesh

“…Hidrofobik karaktere sahip PP meshlerin; yüksek kimyasal direnç, mekaniksel kararlılık, inert olma, enzimlere dayanıklılık, biyouyumluluk ve diğer malzemelere kıyasla konakçı yanıtı açısından daha iyi performans özellikleri bulunmaktadır. Bununla birlikte; PP meshin, temas eden iç organlara sıklıkla yapıştığı literatürde bildirilmiştir[31,34,40]. PET esaslı meshler (örneğin; ticari markalı Dacron TM ), literatürde etkinlikleri…”