A Preliminary Study of the Effect of Poly(Methacrylic Acid-Co-Methyl Methacrylate) Beads on Angiogenesis in Rodent Skin Grafts and the Quality of the Panniculus Carnosus

BACKGROUND: Inadequate blood supply can limit tissue graft size and thickness. As a result, there is considerable interest in vascularization strategies that might extend these limits. Beads of a copolymer of methacrylic acid and methyl methacrylate were used to enhance rat composite myocutaneous skin graft vascularization and to assess the effect on the gross morphology of the panniculus carnosus. METHODS: Beads (45 or 65 mol% methacrylic acid (n = 8) or control 100 mol% methyl methacrylate (n = 6) were spread over the wound bed and covered with the composite myocutaneous graft and analyzed 11 days later in comparison with a no-bead control group (n = 22). RESULTS: Microvessel density counts were significantly higher (p < 0.001) for grafts treated with either 45 mol% methacrylic acid or 65 mol% methacrylic acid beads compared with grafts treated with methyl methacrylate beads or no beads. There was no significant difference between grafts treated with 45 mol% methacrylic acid or 65 mol% methacrylic acid beads, and no significant differences between grafts treated with methyl methacrylate beads and no beads. Most importantly, the panniculus carnosus was significantly thicker (p < 0.001) for grafts treated in either methacrylic acid bead group compared with grafts treated with either methyl methacrylate beads or no beads. CONCLUSION: The data provide supporting evidence that methacrylic acid beads augment graft vascularization and the health of the panniculus carnosus.