DECELLULARISED PLEURAL PATCHES FOR PROLONGED ALVEOLAR AIR LEAKS

Vikranth, Trisha; Dale, Tina; Forsyth, Nicholas

Abstract

Prolonged alveolar air leaks (PALs) as post‐surgical complications to lung resections at an incidence of 26%, is a source of patient morbidity. The gold standard approach to managing PALs is conservative, through extended duration of chest tube drainage, often associated with thoracic pain, pulmonary and pleural infections, and extended length of hospital stays.

Aim: Develop a tissue‐engineered alternative with decellularised porcine pleural membranes (DPPM) as bioactive sealants, reinforcing conventional surgical procedures to seal air leaks, reducing the severity of PALs. The distinction is in its role as bioactive extracellular matrix scaffolds comparable in biochemical and mechanical attributes to native PPM, stimulating endogenous regeneration of lung tissue. Decellularisation ensures retention of native microarchitecture and composition of the membrane with reduced immune intolerance through removal of cellular antigens.

Methods: PPMs were decellularised and characterised using histology, nuclear DNA staining (DAPI), membrane thickness estimation, and tensile testing.

Results: H&E staining showed absence of purple stained nuclei in the DPPM, quantitatively confirmed with a significant difference in DAPI stained nuclei between DPPM and native PPM samples (p < 0.0001). Membrane thickness of DPPM (218 ± 68 μm) vs native (145.3 ± 33.1μm) were comparable (p > 0.05). Tensile testing estimated Young's modulus of DPPM (804 ± 670kPa) vs native (828.4 ± 177kPa) with no significant difference.

Conclusion: Histological and mechanical studies indicate an efficient strategy to derive DPPM, with the removal of nuclear and cellular antigens and minimal disruption to native structural and mechanical properties. This represents the first step towards a clinical alternative to managing PALs.

Citation

Vikranth, T., Dale, T., & Forsyth, N. (2021, November). DECELLULARISED PLEURAL PATCHES FOR PROLONGED ALVEOLAR AIR LEAKS. Presented at TERMIS 6th World Congress, Maastricht, Netherlands

• Presentation Conference Type: Other
• Conference Name: TERMIS 6th World Congress
• Conference Location: Maastricht, Netherlands
• Start Date: Nov 15, 2021
• End Date: Nov 19, 2021
• Deposit Date: Nov 16, 2023
• Publisher URL: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ten.tea.2022.29025.abstracts