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Bacterial Cellulose: Long-Term Biocompatibility Studies

2012; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 23; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1163/092050611x581516

1568-5624

Renata Aparecida Nedel Pértile, Susana Moreira, Rui M. Gil da Costa, Alexandra Correia, Luísa Guardão, Fátima Gärtner, Manuel Vilanova, Miguel Gama,

biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties

Abstract The bacterial cellulose (BC) secreted by Gluconacetobacter xylinus is a network of pure cellulose nanofibres which has high crystallinity, wettability and mechanical strength. These characteristics make BC an excellent material for tissue-engineering constructs, noteworthy for artificial vascular grafts. In this work, the in vivo biocompatibility of BC membranes produced by two G. xylinus strains was analyzed through histological analysis of long-term subcutaneous implants in the mice. The BC implants caused a mild and benign inflammatory reaction that decreased along time and did not elicit a foreign body reaction. A tendency to calcify over time, which may be related to the porosity of the BC implants, was observed, especially among the less porous BC-1 implants. In addition, the potential toxicity of BC nanofibres — obtained by chemical-mechanical treatment of BC membranes — subcutaneously implanted in mice was analysed through bone marrow flow cytometry and histological analyses. At 2 and 4 months post-implantation, the nanofibres implants were found to accumulate intracellularly, in subcutaneous foamy macrophages aggregates. Moreover, no differences were observed between the controls and implanted animals in thymocyte populations and in B lymphocyte precursors and myeloid cells in the bone marrow.