INTRODUCTION: The biomembrane of natural latex is believed to promote neoformation of biological tissues and to be biocompatible. In animal studies, enhancement of wound healing in the esophagus, peritoniostomy, and pericardiostomy has been observed. It was used in chronic phlebopatic cutaneous ulcer and otologic surgeries in human subjects. PURPOSE: To study the effect of biomembrane of natural latex in ocular surface. METHODS: In fifteen New Zealand white rabbits, the superior nasal conjunctiva was removed from both eyes. In the right eyes, the biomembrane of natural latex was sutured to the conjunctiva with continuous 10.0 monofilament thread. In the left eye, the sclera was left bare. The rabbits were sacrified and the eyes were submitted to histological analysis on days five, seven, fourteen, twenty-one and twenty-eight. The eyes of a rabbit with no surgery were enucleated and sent for histological analysis of the normal conjunctiva. RESULTS: Considering the whole period of the experiment, the number of eyes with satisfactory healing was greater in the biomembrane group than in the bare sclera group (p=0.06). The number of perilimbic vessels was significantly higher in the biomembrane group than in the bare sclera group (p=0.0284). The infection rate was similar in both groups. CONCLUSION: Similar to prior studies, the biomembrane of natural latex seemed to benefit conjunctival reconstruction and neoangiogenesis. Depending on the results using human eyes, this material might be a new type of therapeutic resource for conjunctival replacement, especially in cases of desirable tissue revascularization.
Conjunctiva; Cicatrix; Membranes, artificial; Regeneration; Rabbits
