Recurrent Inguinal Hernia: Disease of the Collagen Matrix?

The aim of this study was to investigate the collagen matrix in recurrent inguinal hernias. Total ribonucleic acid (RNA) was extracted from skin fibroblasts of three groups (control group I = healthy skin; control group II = plain skin scar; recurrent inguinal hernia group = skin of recurrent inguinal hernias; each n = 5). Reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) and Northern blot analysis were used to investigate the expression of procollagen type I/‐ III, MMP‐1, and MMP‐13 mRNAs. Both ratios of procollagen types I to III mRNAs and collagen types I to III were apparently decreased in the recurrent hernia group compared to those of both control groups (p