Novel propylene oxide-treated bovine pericardium as soft tissue repair material and potential scaffold for tissue engineering.

In contrast with autographic or allographic repair materials, the use of a xenographic soft tissue repair material could improve patient outcomes following surgery, since such a material would not require a second surgical site and could reduce the risk of human-to-human disease transmission. Veritas(c) Collagen Matrix (Veritas) is a novel, non-crosslinked soft tissue repair material derived from bovine pericardium. Physical property testing shows this material is strong, malleable, of uniform thickness, and easily sutureable. Biocompatibility testing, as well as viral safety and extractable deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) studies demonstrate the acellularity, safety, and immunological inertness of the material. Animal studies in pigs and rabbits, in a variety of surgical procedures that include abdominal wall implant, unilateral hysterectomy, urethral sling implant, and dural substitute studies demonstrate Veritas does not adhere readily to tissues of the chest wall or abdomen under conditions that promote adhesions. In addition, these studies show that Veritas is remodelable and, in time, becomes histologically indistinguishable from the host tissue. These findings indicate Veritas is an ideal soft tissue repair material and it may serve as an ideal scaffold for tissue engineering.