Fig 1.
Surgical fixation of the mesh.
Macroscopic images of the Optilene Mesh Elastic polypropylene mesh fixed to the edges of the defect. The fixation was made with 6 polypropylene suture points (A: control group) or with 6 drops of the specified cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive (B: experimental group) on the day of the repair surgery.
Table 1.
Postoperative macroscopic complications.
Fig 2.
Macroscopic appearance of the neoformed tissue integrating the mesh.
Images of the optimal integration of the Optilene Mesh Elastic polypropylene mesh in the different study groups. Aspect of the meshes fixed with sutures or with the different cyanoacrylate tissue adhesives (Glubran 2, SafetySeal, Ifabond and Evobond) 14, 90 and 180 days postimplantation. An animal with some encapsulation was shown in the image in the Evobond group at 14 days.
Fig 3.
Morphological studies of the implanted meshes at 14 days.
Light microscopy images of the large pore polypropylene mesh, fixed with stitches or with the different cyanoacrylates (Glubran 2, SafetySeal, Ifabond and Evobond), 14 days after implantation. Left images: Masson’s trichrome staining panoramic images of the implant meshes (100x magnification) show the space between the filaments and knots of the mesh in the control group), and in the adhesive groups, it is possible to see the area where the cyanoacrylate is fixing the mesh. Right images: sirius red staining images (100x magnification). Type I collagen is seen in red, and type III collagen is seen in yellow-green. (PP: polypropylene mesh filament; TA: tissue adhesive).
Fig 4.
Morphological studies of the implanted meshes at 90 days.
Light microscopy images of the large pore polypropylene mesh, fixed with stitches or with the different cyanoacrylates (Glubran 2, SafetySeal, Ifabond and Evobond), 90 days after the surgery. Left images: Masson’s trichrome staining panoramic images of the implant meshes (100x magnification). Right images: sirius red staining images (100x magnification). Notice the increase in type I collagen at this study time in relation to 14 days. Type I collagen is seen in red, and type III collagen is seen in yellow-green. (PP: polypropylene mesh filament; TA: tissue adhesive).
Fig 5.
Morphological studies of the implanted meshes at 180 days.
Light microscopy images of the large pore polypropylene mesh, fixed with stitches or with the different cyanoacrylates (Glubran 2, SafetySeal, Ifabond and Evobond), 180 days after implantation. Left images: Masson’s trichrome staining panoramic images of the implant meshes (100x magnification). Right images: sirius red staining images, where it is possible to appreciate collagen expression in the different implanted groups after 180 days. Type I collagen was the main collagen seen at this study time (100x magnification). Type I collagen is seen in red, and type III collagen is seen in yellow-green. (PP: polypropylene mesh filament; TA: tissue adhesive).
Fig 6.
Foreign-body reaction analysis.
Immunohistochemical labeling of rabbit macrophages (red) using the RAM11 monoclonal antibody in all the study groups (suture, Glubran 2, SafetySeal, Ifabond and Evobond) and during the 3 study periods (14, 90 and 180 days after the surgery). Upper panel: light microscopy micrographs of RAM11 labeling (200x magnification). Bottom panel: percentage of RAM11-positive cells recorded for each study group and study time. (* p<0.001 vs. suture; σ p<0.01 vs. Glubran 2; γ p<0.05 vs. Ifabond; ϕ p<0.001 vs. Evobond; # p<0.05 vs. 90 days; † p<0.05 vs. 180 days). (PP: polypropylene mesh filament; TA: tissue adhesive).
Fig 7.
Relative collagen 1 and 3 mRNA expression levels determined by qRT-PCR in the implant areas.
Relative collagen 1 mRNA expression (upper) and collagen 3 mRNA expression (lower) in the different study groups. Gene expression was normalized to the expression recorded for the reference gene GAPDH. (Collagen 1: * p<0.01 vs. suture; σ p<0.05 vs. Glubran 2; # p<0.001 vs. 90 days; † p<0.001 vs. 180 days) (Collagen 3: * p<0.05 vs. Safety Seal 14 days; σ p<0.05 vs. Safety Seal 180d; # p<0.001 vs. 90 days; † p<0.001 vs. 180 days).
Fig 8.
Maximum strength values for the different groups in newtons (N), recorded at the different study times (14, 90 and 180 days after the surgery). (* p<0.05 vs. suture 14 days; # p<0.05 vs. 90 days; † p<0.05 vs. 180 days).