An experimental study of tissue reaction to polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microspheres (Artecoll) and dimethylsiloxane (DMS) in the mouse.

Various methods are available for the treatment of scars, wrinkles, and other cutaneous defects, and the material used must be as biocompatible as possible. This study analyzes the biological behavior of polymethyl methacrylate/bovine collagen (Artecoll) and of polydimethylsiloxane (DMS), using a histopathological study in mice. A prospective study was performed using 40 mice for each substance: polymethyl methacrylate/bovine collagen or polydimethylsiloxane was injected into the right ear, the left ear being used as a control. Histopathological analyses of the right ear, liver, and kidney were performed at intervals during the study and revealed the development of an intense granulomatous reaction of the foreign body type in the right ear, periportal and intralobular infiltrates in the liver, and interstitial nephritis and chronic pyelonephritis in the kidney for polymethyl methacrylate/bovine collagen. A variable reaction with less intense fibrosis and a reduced foreign body reaction were seen in the mice injected with polydimethylsiloxane.