Background: The exact mechanism of capsular contracture (CC) is still unknown. The covalent modification of hyaluronan (HA) with the heavy chains (HC) of inter-α-inhibitor (IαI) has been identified as an important pathway in inflammation and tissue remodeling, where HC·HA formation is catalyzed by TSG-6 (the protein product of tumor necrosis factor stimulated gene-6).
Objective: The authors quantitatively assess the correlation between severity of CC (measured by Baker grade) and expression of HA, TSG-6, and IαI (ie, the polypeptides HC1, HC2, and bikunin) in periprosthetic breast capsules.
Methods: Immunofluorescent staining for HA, TSG-6, HC1, HC2, and bikunin was carried out on periprosthetic breast capsules (n = 7) of each Baker grade from four anatomical locations. Quantitative analysis was performed to identify differences in staining intensity. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to determine differences in TSG-6 gene expression levels.
Results: Severity of contracture was associated with reduced staining for both free HA (Pearson correlation coefficient, r = -0.645, P < .001) and TSG-6 (r = -0.642, P = .002). RT-qPCR showed a significant negative correlation between severity of contracture and TSG-6 gene expression levels (r = -0.750, P = .001).
Conclusions: The negative correlation between TSG-6 expression levels and severity of CC suggests a possible protective role for TSG-6 in the context of CC formation, and this may have a clinically relevant role in prevention of breast CC.