An alternative strategy involves acellular dermal matrix (ADM) — skin that has been processed to remove the outermost layer. This leaves a material with important cellular components for healing, including collagen, elastin and growth factors. Currently, ADM is available primarily in sheet form for tendon repair or plastic surgery, but Pham Ngoc Chien, Chan-Yeong Heo and colleagues wanted to create an injectable form of ADM that would be suitable for space-filling reconstructive breast surgery.
Promising Results From ADM Paste Testing in Rats
The researchers took a sample of skin donated by a living female participant and processed it through a series of steps including decellularizing, freezing and pulverizing to form small ADM particles. Then they added water to the particles to form a thick paste. The team injected small amounts of this paste into rats to test its biocompatibility and compared it to two commercially available ADM products. After a six-month period, the rats presented no adverse health effects. In fact, the animals treated with the new ADM paste had thinner layers of tissue form around the injected material than the rats treated with the commercially available product. Thinner tissue layers are preferable in breast implant procedures because they’re less likely to cause complications such as infections or hematomas.
Future Potential of Injectable ADM in Breast Reconstruction
Longer-term safety trials and more complex tests are necessary before this material could be considered for clinical use. But the researchers say that this work highlights the potential of their ADM implant to improve breast reconstruction surgery.
The authors acknowledge funding from the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy. The use of human skin samples was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Seoul Asan Hospital.
Source: American Chemical Society