Investigation of material and method for the application of alternative polyester in the nervous tissue plastination process
Name: LAÍSSA DA SILVA JUVENATO
Type: MSc dissertation
Publication date: 25/03/2022
Advisor:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| ATHELSON STEFANON BITTENCOURT | Advisor * |
Examining board:
| Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| ANDRÉ ROMERO DA SILVA | Internal Examiner * |
| ATHELSON STEFANON BITTENCOURT | Advisor * |
Summary: Plastination is a biological tissue preservation technique designed by Dr. Gunther von Hagens in 1977, intended to make them as close to their appearance in life. In this process, the specimens are impregnated with a polymer, usually silicone, epoxy or polyester. Polyester has a wide application both in teaching and comparison with imaging techniques, being recommended mostly for encephalic section plastination. However, the raw material used in the process are usually imported, making its usage fairly expensive. In this context, the acquisition of alternative polymers of national origin would favor the expansion of plastination application in Brazil. Furthermore, there is currently a lack of studies in the literature which analyze the use of unsaturated polyester resins for this purpose. Therefore, it seems relevant to study the national commercialized P18 unsaturated polyester resin, along with P40 reference polyester, imported from Biodur Products in Germany. The study seeks to explore both the chemical and rheological properties of these materials, as well as their potential applications in nervous tissue plastination. The chemical and rheological characterization were performed by nuclear and infrared magnetic resonance spectroscopy and rheometry. The application of both polyesters in plastination WHERE evaluated by tissue retraction in bovine encephalic sections. 2 mm pieces WHERE analyzed before impregnation and after cure. The standard plastination protocol for each polymer was applied: fixation, dehydration, impregnation and cure. One half of the pieces WHERE plastinated with the reference polymer, and the other half with the alternative one. By the results, differences between both resins could be inferred, with no significant variation in the rates of percentual retraction in both groups being demonstrated. With these findings, it is possible to support the application of the alternative polyester in replacement to the usual reference.
Keywords: Plastination; Unsaturated polyester; Nervous tissue; National commercialization.
