The in vivo cytokine release profile following implantation

There has been no comprehensive study that maps the production of the range of inflammatory cytokines following implantation of a material. There is an urgent requirement for specific data on the real time production of biological markers in order to study their effects in vitro and more accurately predict the in vivo response. This study determined the production of IL-1beta, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IFNgamma and TNF-alpha in response to a synthetic material implanted in a rat soft tissue model for up to 90 days. IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha were elevated over the total experimental time course with values in the order of 500 pg/ml for IL-1beta and 40 pg/ml for TNF-alpha. The cytokines IL-2, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10 were also detected and their production reduced with increasing time.