A series of medical grade polymers and one non-medical grade polymer, in the form of tubes closed at one end, were implanted subcutaneously into the dorso-lumbar region of rats. The samples were retrieved after 1, 2, 5, 7 and 14 days and the exudate which formed within the lumen of the tubes analysed by flow cytometry. Positivity for each of six antibodies: CD45RO (pan leucocyte), OX42 (macrophage/monocyte), CD5 (T-lymphocyte), CD45RA (B-lymphocyte), Interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor and Major Histocompatibility class II (MHC-II) antigen were tested. The volumes of exudates and their total cellularities varied greatly from material to material, but there was no relationship between the two. Silicone, for example, had the greatest exudate volume at all time periods, but the lowest cellularities after day 5. Large numbers of granulocytes and macrophages were observed in all materials, with smaller populations of T-lymphocytes, which also demonstrated high IL-2 receptor expression. High levels of MHC-II expression were observed and attributed mainly to the macrophage population. All materials demonstrated the very reactive nature of this type of model: a massive inflammatory reaction continuing right up to 14 days in all cases, seemingly acute in cellular composition with high immunological activity. It is concluded that flow cytometry is an extremely useful tool in probing the interaction of cells with artificial materials.
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Rhodes, N.P., Hunt, J.A. & Williams, D.F. Quantification of the host response to implanted polymers in vivo by flow cytometry. J Mater Sci: Mater Med 5, 666–670 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00120353
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00120353