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. 2022 Sep 13;14(18):3817.
doi: 10.3390/polym14183817.

Breast Tissue Restoration after the Partial Mastectomy Using Polycaprolactone Scaffold

Seung-Jun Jwa  1 , Jong-Min Won  1 , Do-Hyun Kim  2 , Ki-Bum Kim  2 , Jung-Bok Lee  3 , Min Heo  2 , Kyu-Sik Shim  1 , Han-Saem Jo  1 , Won-Jai Lee  4 , Tai-Suk Roh  4 , Woo-Yeol Baek  2   4
Affiliations

Breast Tissue Restoration after the Partial Mastectomy Using Polycaprolactone Scaffold

Seung-Jun Jwa et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

As breast conserving surgery increases in the surgical treatment of breast cancer, partial mastectomy is also increasing. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a polymer that is used as an artifact in various parts of the human body based on the biocompatibility and mechanical properties of PCL. Here, we hypothesized that a PCL scaffold can be utilized for the restoration of breast tissue after a partial mastectomy. To demonstrate the hypothesis, a PCL scaffold was fabricated by 3D printing and three types of spherical PCL scaffold including PCL scaffold, PCL scaffold with collagen, and the PCL scaffold with breast tissue fragment were implanted in the rat breast defect model. After 6 months of implantation, the restoration of breast tissue was observed in the PCL scaffold and the expression of collagen in the PCL scaffold with collagen was seen. The expression of TNF-α was significantly increased in the PCL scaffold, but the expression of IL-6 showed no significant difference in all groups. Through this, it showed the possibility of using it as a method to conveniently repair tissue defects after partial mastectomy of the human body.

Keywords: breast restoration; partial mastectomy; polycaprolactone; tissue restoration.

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Conflict of interest statement

In the present study, the researchers had total independence to carry out the experiments and analyze the results. The co-financing company did not exert any pressure.

Figures

Scheme 1
Scheme 1
Schematic representation of PCL scaffold implantation after partial mastectomy in rat. (A) Fabrication of the sphere-type PCL scaffold by 3D printing, and (B) implantation of the PCL scaffold after partial mastectomy in rats.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Fabrication of the PCL scaffold for partial mastectomy. (A) Design image of the PCL scaffold and polygon structure that was printed in PCL filament. (B) Scanning electron microscopy image of the PCL scaffold (Scale bar = 100 μm). (C) Compressive strength of the PCL scaffold. (D) Shape recovery ability of PCL scaffolds.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Time-dependent partial breast restoration through PCL scaffold implantation after partial mastectomy in rat. (A) MicroCT image after implantation of the PCL scaffold in 4 months and 6 months; (B) 3D visualization of soft tissue restoration within the PCL scaffold (C) Quantitative analysis of soft tissue restoration through PCL scaffold implantation after partial mastectomy in rat (** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Histological analysis after implantation of the PCL scaffold in rat. (A) H&E and MT staining after PCL scaffold implantation; (B) Immunofluorescence analysis of collagen Type 1 (green) and perilipin-1 (red) and Hoechst 33342 counterstaining (blue) after PCL scaffold implantation; (C) Quantitative analysis of the intensity of collagen Type 1 and perilipin-1 (* p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01) (Scale bar = 1 mm).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Evaluation of the inflammatory properties of the PCL scaffold. (A) Immunohistochemistry analysis of TNF-α and IL-6 after PCL scaffold implantation (Scale bar = 1 mm); (B) Quantitative analysis of the expression of TNF-α and IL-6 (* p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01); (C) Alizarin red S staining after PCL scaffold implantation (Scale bar = 500 μm); (D) Quantitative analysis of Alizarin red S staining (* p < 0.05).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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