Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Mar;25(2):249-53.
doi: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2009.10.003. Epub 2010 Apr 24.

In Vivo engineering of the vocal fold ECM with injectable HA hydrogels-late effects on tissue repair and biomechanics in a rabbit model

Susan L Thibeault  1 , Sarah A Klemuk, Xia Chen, Beatriz H Quinchia Johnson
Affiliations

In Vivo engineering of the vocal fold ECM with injectable HA hydrogels-late effects on tissue repair and biomechanics in a rabbit model

Susan L Thibeault et al. J Voice. 2011 Mar.

Abstract

Objectives: To determine if the utilization of injectable chemically modified hyaluronan (HA) derivative at the time of intentional vocal fold resection may facilitate wound repair and preserve the unique viscoelastic properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and lamina propria 6 months after treatment.

Study design: Prospective, controlled animal study.

Methods: Twelve rabbit vocal folds were biopsied bilaterally, and the left side of vocal fold was treated with Extracel, an injectable, chemically modified HA derivative, and the right side of vocal fold was injected with saline as control at the time of resection. Animals were sacrificed 6 months after biopsy and injection. Outcomes measured include transcription levels for procollagen, fibronectin, fibromodulin, transforming growth factor beta one (TGF-β1), HA synthase, and hyaluronidase, and tissue biomechanics-viscosity and elasticity.

Results: Extracel-treated vocal folds were found to have significantly less fibrosis than saline-treated controls. Extracel-treated vocal folds had significantly improved biomechanical properties of elasticity and viscosity. Significantly decreased levels of fibronectin, fibromodulin, TGF-β1, procollagen I, and HA synthase were measured.

Conclusions: Prophylactic in vivo manipulation of the ECM with an injectable HA hydrogel appears to induce vocal fold tissue regeneration to yield improved tissue composition and biomechanical properties at 6 months.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Expression of fibronectin, fibromodulin, transforming growth factor beta one (TGF-B1) hyaluronan synthase and hyaluronidase genes from injured vocal fold tissue treated with Extracel or saline at six months post op. Data is shown by target gene mRNA concentration (ng/μl), normalized by housekeeping gene, b-actin mRNA (ng/μl). *p<0.05
Figure 2
Figure 2
A. Elastic modulus (G′) and B. Viscous modulus (G″) for Extracel treated and saline treated groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gray SD, Alipour F, Titze IR, Hammond TH. Biomechanical and histological observations of vocal fold fibrous proteins. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2000;109:77–85. - PubMed
    1. Chan RW, Titze IR. Viscoelastic shear properties of human vocal fold mucosa: Theortical characterization based on constitutive modeling. J Acoust Soc Am. 2000;107(1):565–79. - PubMed
    1. Titze IR. Phonation threshold pressure: A missing link in glottal aerodynamics. Journal of Acoustical Society of America. 1992;91:2926–35. - PubMed
    1. Titze IR. The physics of small-amplitude oscillation of the vocal folds. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 1988;83:1536–52. - PubMed
    1. Caton T, Thibeault SL, Klemuk S, Smith ME. Viscoelasticity of hyaluronan and nonhyaluronan based vocal fold injectables: Implications for mucosal versus muscle use. Laryngoscope. 2007 Mar;117(3):516–21. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms