Evaluating Tissue-Engineered Repair Material for Pelvic Floor Disorders: A Comparison of in Vivo Response to Meshes Implanted in Rats

The complications related to the use of mesh implants for pelvic floor disorders are increasing and have attracted the focus of international scrutiny. This study aimed to investigate the host response to the biodegradable tissue engineered repair material (TERM) in a rat abdominal defect model and to study the changes in mechanical properties over time. The adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) were seeded on electrospun poly(L-lactide)-trimethylene carbonate-gycolide (PLLA-TMC-GA, PLTG) terpolymers to construct the TERM. In vivo imaging showed that the ADSCs was confined to the abdominal wall and did not migrate to other organs or tissues. The TERM was encapsulated by a thicker layer of connective tissue and was associated with less reduced inflammatory scores compared with PLTG and polypropylene (PP) over time. The vascularization of TERM was greater than that of PP and PLTG over time, and was greater than that of porcine small intestine submucosa graft (SIS) in 90 days. The ultimate tensile strain and Young's modulus of this TERM increased greatly over time. Our results show that this TERM may be an alternative material for pelvic floor disorders with better biocompatibility and biomechanics.