Abstract:

Objective To patch up the dural defects of rabbits with bacteria cellulose membrane, and observe the early pathological change and inflammatory response after implantation. Methods Twenty-four New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into group A and group B, with 12 rabbits in each group. The bilateral dura matter of rabbits were removed, and defects of 2 cm×1 cm were prepared. In group A, the right dural defects were repaired with bacteria cellulose membrane, no repair was made on the left dural defects, and samples were taken 30 d, 90 d and 180 d after operation for pathological examinations. In group B, the right dural defects were repaired with bacteria cellulose membrane, the left dural defects were repaired with artificial dura matter, and the tissues on the repaired sites were collected on day 7, 14 and 21 after operation for determination of expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) mRNA by RT-PCR. Results All rabbits survived without the presence of wound infection. On the patched side of group A, bacteria cellulose membrane evenly covered the surface of brain without adhesion and visible inflammatory cells, fibrous connective tissues proliferated on the outer side of bacteria cellulose membrane, fibroblasts uniformly distributed in the inner side, and new blood vessels appeared. On the unpatched side of group A, the brain was directly connected with subcutaneous tissues. In group B, RT-PCR revealed that the expression of IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA in bacteria cellulose membrane was significantly lower than that in artificial dura matter at each time point, while the expression of TNF-α mRNA of both sides was similar. Conclusion Bacterial cellulose membrane may avoid the adhesion to the brain tissues and has slighter early inflammatory response in repair of dural defects. Bacterial cellulose membrane may be used as the ideal substitute material for dura matter.

Key words: bacterial cellulose membrane, artificial dura matter, inflammation, substitute material