Ex ova chick chorioallantoic membrane as a novel model for evaluation of tissue responses to biomaterials and implants

Abstract One of the major obstacles in developing rationale strategies to control inflammation and fibrosis surrounding implants is the lack of a simple and inexpensive in vivo model to screen tissue reactions to various biomaterials and implants. To begin to fill this gap, we have developed an ex ova model of the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) for testing of tissue reaction to biomaterials and implants. For these studies, we evaluated tissue reactions (inflammation and fibrosis) to two commonly used biomaterials (nylon and silastic) grossly and histologically in the ex ova CAM. Nylon mesh was incorporated within the CAM tissue 4 days postplacement. After 8 days postplacement, the nylon mesh was totally incorporated into the CAM. Histologically, little or no inflammation was seen associated with the incorporated nylon mesh at any time point. In the case of silastic tubing, significant incorporation of the CAM was seen grossly by 1–2 days postplacement. Incorporation of the tubing continued at day 8 postplacement of the silastic tubing, with ingrowth of the CAM into the lumen of the tubing. Histological evaluation of CAMs indicated that no significant tissue reactions (inflammation or fibrosis) occurred in the CAM tissue surrounding the silastic tubing or in the CAM tissue and vasculature that had grown into the silastic tubing. To our knowledge, this report represents the first investigation of the usage of the ex ova CAM model, a shell‐less chick embryo model (ex ova), as an in vivo model to test the tissue reactions to biomaterials and implants. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 67A: 838–843, 2003