Alginate-silk Composite Fiber Mesh Applied To Abdominal Wall Defect Repair

Background: Abdominal wall defects or hernias are common clinical abdominal diseases,including inguinal hernias,umbilical hernias,incisional hernias and parastomal hernias.At present,tension-free hernia repair is commonly used in clinics,that is patch repair.And the commonly used polypropylene material or polyester material has the disadvantages of poor tissue compatibility and severe inflammation,however,the alginate-silk fibroin composite fiber has excellent biocompatibility and biomechanical properties.Objective: This study was aimed to research the feasibility of alginate-silk composite fiber applied to abdominal wall defect repair.Methods: Alginate-silk composite fiber was used as the experimental group,and polypropylene as the control group.The physical and chemical properties of the material were detected,including scanning electron microscope,infrared spectroscopy analysis,mechanical analysis,thermal analysis and thermal degradation characteristics,etc.The cck-8 kit was used to detect the proliferation activity of fibroblasts on two types of fibrous membranes.Finally,a model of abdominal wall defects in rats was constructed,and the fibrous membranes of the experimental group and the control group were sutured and fixed to the defects.The rats were sacrificed at1 week,2 weeks,and 4 weeks after surgery,and tissue samples were collected to calculate the shrinkage ratio of the two materials in the tissue.The histological differences between the two groups were compared by HE staining.Sirius red staining was used to compare the types of collagen proliferation between the two groups.Finally,immunohistochemical staining was used to detect changes in inflammatory factors and inflammation-related signaling pathways between the two groups.Results: Scanning electron microscopy showed that the alginate-silk composite fiber has a good three-dimensional spatial structure,which meets the requirements of cell proliferation and migration;the thermal performance is stable;and in terms of mechanical properties,including tensile strength and elastic properties,the alginate-silk composite fiber is stronger than polypropylene.In vivo experiments,the alginate-silk composite fiber can be partially degraded in the rat body,promote tissue angiogenesis,promote typeⅠcollagen hyperplasia,and reduce scar tissue formed in the body.Compared with polypropylene,the inflammatory reaction produced by the alginate-silk composite fiber is lighter,mainly by macrophage infiltration;the expression of inflammatory factor MCP-1 is low,and the TGF-β signaling pathway is activated.Conclusion: The alginate-silk composite fiber has good physical and chemical properties and biocompatibility.Compared with polypropylene,the inflammatory response is lower,it can better meet the requirements of abdominal wall defect repair,and has good application prospects.