FIBROBLAST STIMULATION BY MONOCYTES CULTURED ON PROTEIN ADSORBED BIO-MEDICAL POLYMERS .1. BIOMER AND POLYDIMETHYLSILOXANE

The studies presented in this paper evaluate the modulatory role of protein pre-adsorbed polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and Biomer on the secretion of fibroblast stimulating growth factors from human monocytes/macrophages. The results of these studies show that Biomer and PDMS selectively activate human monocytes to produce fibroblast "progression-like" and to a lesser extent "competence-like" stimulating growth factors. Polydimethylsiloxane stimulated the monocytes/macrophages to produce more "progression-like" fibro-blast stimulating growth factors than Biomer. The induction of "competence-like" fibroblast stimulating activity from the monocytes was enhanced by preadsorption of PDMS with human derived fibrinogen, fibronectin, IgG, hemoglobin, or albumin. This phenomenon was not observed with protein preadsorbed Biomer. These studies support the hypothesis that protein preadsorbed polymers will selectively modulate monocyte/macrophage activation and induction of growth factors which have the potential to participate in tissue-implant interactions in vivo.