Materials
How does the body react to the implantation of a biomaterial?
Reference number = 200125781
Introduction
You have to be careful of what you put in your body, from food, to chemicals and even what kind of metal is used during surgery.
A biomaterial is a material that is used to replace or support parts of the body. These materials sometimes need to have a specific structure, so that cells will adhere to it, and also proliferate, so that the body will grow around the biomaterial.
Different materials will cause different immune reactions, so these biomaterials will need to be engineered so that they do not cause a dangerous immune response.
From metals for orthopedic surgery to polymers used for cardiac surgery, there are many different types of materials that can be used in the body. They all integrate into the body in different ways, and all can cause different reactions, so must be tried and tested before they can be used in surgery.
[1] This image shows how a titanium rod has been used to hold two broken halves of a tibia together. This is an example of how a biomaterial has been used to support parts of the body when they have been damaged.
[3] This diagram to the left shows that biomaterials can be implemented all over the body, and also how different each biomaterial can be.
The body's natural reaction to an implanted biomaterial is as follows:
-
The foreign body response
-
The immune reaction (both specific and non-specific)
-
The blood-materials interactions (complement system)
-
Systemic effects
-
Tumor formation
-
Infection
All these different reactions have different stages and not all of these reactions happen whenever a biomaterial is implanted. This is why materials have to be tested before they are implanted, so that they do not have an adverse effect, such as a material causing cells to mutate and become cancerous.