Preliminary biocompatibility assessment of Polylactide membrane intended for wound healing

Background: Artificial skin substitutes aim to provide a biocompatible cover for wounds to fasten up the process of epithelialization and wound closure.Membranes based on both animal-derived materials like collagen, and synthetic biodegradable polymers have been used for wound treatment.A major attraction for using biodegradable and biocompatible polymers for fabricating membranes for wound treatment is their safety profile in comparison with xenograft materials like lyophilized collagen.Materials and methods: Biocompatible polylactide membranes were fabricated by fusing porous polylactide particles.Preliminary biocompatibity assessment of these membranes was carried out by cytotoxicity tests, and evaluation of cutaneous sensitivity by subcutaneous implantation in guinea pigs.Results: Preliminary results show that these polylactide membranes are not toxic to cells and their surface is suitable for cell attachment and growth.These membranes did not provoke any severe inflammatory reaction on subcutaneous implantation in guinea pigs.This was confirmed by histological studies and protein estimation of extracellualr matrix content of the excised skin.Conclusion: Preliminary results of the study indicate that polylactide membranes are biocompatible, and have the potential to promote faster epithelialization and wound closure.Synthetic biodegradable polymers also exhibit a controlled degradation rate to achieve complete resorption within the intended time.