Ultrastructural aspects of foreign body giant cells generated on different substrates

Implantation of biomaterials into the body, e.g. for tissue engineering purposes, induces a material-dependent inflammatory response called the foreign body reaction (FBR). A hallmark feature of this response is the formation of large multinucleated cells: foreign body giant cells (FBGCs). Biomaterials like cross-linked and non-cross-linked collagen often induce the formation of FBGCs. It is unknown whether different biomaterials result in the formation of different FBGCs. To investigate this, we implanted cross-linked and non-cross-linked dermal sheep collagen subcutaneously in mice. After 21 days the implanted material was collected and prepared for ultrastructural analysis. More FBGCs formed on and between implants of cross-linked collagen compared to non-cross-linked material. The ultrastructural aspects of the FBGCs present on the two types of implants proved to be similar. On both materials, they formed long slender protrusions on the basolateral membrane, they were very rich in mitochondria, contained numerous nuclei, and showed signs of the presence of a clear zone facing the implanted material. Similar clear zones, that resemble osteoclastic features, were also seen in FBGCs generated in vitro on bone slices, but these cells did not form a ruffled border. However, similarities in ultrastructure such as the occurrence of slender protrusions and high mitochondrion content were also found in the FBGCs generated in vitro. These data indicate that FBGCs formed on different substrates share many morphological characteristics. The formation of long finger-like protrusions seemed typical for the FBGCs, in vivo as well as in vitro, however the function of these structures needs further analysis.