CELL RESPONSE TO INTRAPERITONEAL PDMS/HAP COMPOSITE IMPLANT

Siloxane polimers have been widely used in biomedicine and pharmacy due to their biocompatibility. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is a natural constituent of bones, and therefore widely used in maxillofacial and orthopedic surgery. HAp itself is amorphous and without elasticity, so its characteristics can be improved when combined with organic polymers. We evaluated the interaction of cells and composites made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and HAp by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) 10 days after their intraperitoneal implantation into Balb/c mice. Two composites which were different in the quantity of HAp were analyzed. Both of them showed high adhesive characteristics for different cell types. The erythrocytes in cell clusters could be seen on the surface of the composite with higher quantity of HAp.