The present research aimed to characterize soft tissue implants that were prepared
with the use of crosslinked hyaluronic acid (HA) using two different crosslinkers
and multiple reagent concentrations, alone or in combination with fibrin. The effect
of the implants was evaluated in an in vivo mouse model, after 4 weeks in one group
and after 12 weeks in the other. The explants were compared using analytical methods,
evaluating microscopic images, and a histology analysis. The kinetics of the degradation
and remodeling of explants were found to be greatly dependent on the concentration
and type of crosslinker; generally, divinyl sulfone (DVS) resists degradation more
effectively compared to butanediol diglycidyl ether (BDDE). The presence of fibrin
enhances the formation of blood vessels, and the infiltration of cells and extracellular
matrix. In summary, if the aim is to create a soft tissue implant with easier degradation
of the HA content, then the use of 2–5% BDDE is found to be optimal. For a longer
degradation time, 5% DVS is the more suitable crosslinker. The use of fibrin was found
to support the biological process of remodeling, while keeping the advances of HA
in void filling, enabling the parallel degradation and remodeling processes.
