Bio-sorption of acidic gelatine hydro-gels implanted in the back tissues of Fisher's rats

Recent advance in tissue engineering therapy requires new scaffold materials. Acidic gelatine powders (10 wt%) were, thus, dissolved in water, were or were not cross-linked, and freeze-dried. After sterilization, prepared small sponges were implanted in 7-week-old Fisher's rats' subcutaneous tissues for up to 2 weeks. Sponges absorbed body fluid and changed into hydro-gels in vivo. Non-cross-linked hydro-gels were absorbed within 3 days, while cross-linked hydro-gels were eliminated after 7 days' implantation. Histological observations revealed that the common captivation process was mild while granulocytes and macrophages were encountered. Because acidic gelatine sponges can accommodate various basic growth factors, it can be speculated that prepared sponges might be used as short-time hydro-gel scaffolds and growth-factor carriers.