ABDOMINAL HERNIA REPAIR WITH POLY(SUCCINIMIDE) AND WITH ITS CYSTEAMINE CROSSLINKED NANOFIBER HERNIA MESHES. A PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Many complications related to abdominal hernia repair with currently commercially available surgical meshes encourage us to produce nanofiber meshes and to test them in in vitro cell culture and in vivo animal models. Poly(succinimide) (PSI) and modified PSI chains with cysteamine (CYSE) (PSI-CYSE), as nanofiber meshes were produced by electrospinning technique. On human fibrosarcoma cells tested their viability. In vivo experiments albino rabbits (n=30) were randomly divided into groups (G). In GI dry PSI mesh was implanted to the inner side of the abdominal wall, and fixed it with polypropylene stitches. In GII dry PSI-CYSE mesh, while in GIII wet PSI-CYSE mesh were used in the same operating manner as described in GI. After 14 days tissue samples were removed to histology. Cell contacting experiments with meshes showed that the fibrosarcoma cells remained normal morphological features and viability up to 7 days. After 14 days in GI and in GII the meshes caused strong adhesions to the surrounding organs. While in GIII, the wet PSI-CYSE mesh completely absorbed from the peritoneum. This preliminary work demonstrated that PSI and PSI-CYSE meshes are not useable is this form in hernia surgery, and further research are needed before possible future therapeutic use.