Open AccessDevelopment and ultra‐structure of an ultra‐thin silicone epidermis of bioengineered alternative tissue
Author(s) -
Wessels Quenton,
Pretorius Etheresia
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international wound journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.867
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1742-481X
pISSN - 1742-4801
DOI - 10.1111/iwj.12126
Subject(s) - silicone , siloxane , medicine , biomedical engineering , polyethylene terephthalate , epidermis (zoology) , artificial skin , scanning electron microscope , scaffold , wound healing , coating , materials science , surgery , nanotechnology , composite material , anatomy , polymer
Burn wound care today has a primary objective of temporary or permanent wound closure. Commercially available engineered alternative tissues have become a valuable adjunct to the treatment of burn injuries. Their constituents can be biological, alloplastic or a combination of both. Here the authors describe the aspects of the development of a siloxane epidermis for a collagen‐glycosaminoglycan and for nylon‐based artificial skin replacement products. A method to fabricate an ultra‐thin epidermal equivalent is described. Pores, to allow the escape of wound exudate, were punched and a tri‐filament nylon mesh or collagen scaffold was imbedded and silicone polymerisation followed at 120°C for 5 minutes. The ultra‐structure of these bilaminates was assessed through scanning electron microscopy. An ultra‐thin biomedical grade siloxane film was reliably created through precision coating on a pre‐treated polyethylene terephthalate carrier.