%0 Journal Article
%T Activation of macrophages by silicones: phenotype and production of oxidant metabolites
%A Pablo Iribarren
%A Silvia G Correa
%A Natalia Sodero
%A Clelia M Riera
%J BMC Immunology
%D 2002
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2172-3-6
%X The results presented here demonstrate that the fluid compound DMPS induced a persistent cell recruitment at the site of the injection. Besides, cell activation was still evident 45 days after the silicone injection: activated macrophages exhibited an increased expression of adhesion (CD54 and CD44) and co-stimulatory molecules (CD86) and an enhanced production of oxidant metabolites and NO.Silicones induced a persistent recruitment of leukocytes at the site of the injection and macrophage activation was still evident 45 days after the injection.Nowadays we are in permanent contact with silicones, synthetic polymers containing a repeating Si-O backbone and organic groups attached to the silicon atom [1]. Medical-grade silicones consist primarily of dimethylpolysiloxane (DMPS) and are widely used in devices including cardiac valves, intravenous tubing, intraocular lenses, digital joint arthroplasty prostheses, breast implants, syringes, needles, baby bottle nipples and many others products [1]. Depending upon the length of the polymer chains and the amount of cross-linking between chains medical-grade silicones can be found as fluids, gels or elastomers.The effect of silicones on the immune function is not fully characterized. It has been shown that certain forms of silicone are immunologically active [2] and depending upon the molecular weight and the degree of cross-linking of the polymers, silicones are potent humoral adjuvants [3]. Several studies of the silicone-induced inflammatory response in patients and animals revealed histopathological findings instead of direct evidences of cellular activation [4-6].The initial body's reaction to the implanted material is the inflammatory response that induces recruitment and activation of different cells [7]. The magnitude of any inflammatory response can be related to the level of activation of macrophages. This activation occurs both in inflammatory and in adaptive immune responses, and involves phenotypic and function
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2172/3/6