Healing response of skeletal muscle to implanted biomaterials in rabbit: An immunohistochemical study of desmin and alpha-smooth-muscle-actin positive cells

Healing response of rabbit-skeletal muscle to four implanted biomaterials was studied by routine histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Emphasis was given for studying the morphology of cells with contractile proteins like desmin and alpha-smooth-muscle-actin (ASMA), present around the implanted biomaterials. By using primary antibodies raised against these proteins, cells with six distinct morphological features were identified in the healing tissue; smooth muscle cells of blood vessels, muscle giant-cells, de-differentiated skeletal muscle cells, myofibroblasts, endothelial cells of neocapillaries and undifferentiated cells with stem-cell like morphology. Desmin- and ASMA- immunoreactivity to muscle-giant cells and striated muscles (de-differentiated skeletal muscle cells) around implanted biomaterials are novel observations. Detection of myofibroblasts and stem-like cells around the implanted biomaterial may have significance in determining the nature of the healing response to the implants.