Urethral replacement using polylactid acid fibrous membrane seeded with adipose derived stem cells in rabbits with injured urethra

Abstract

Objective To investigate whether polylactid acid (PLA) fibrous membrane seeded with rabbit adipose derived stem cells (ASCs) could be a potential substitute of urothelium.Methods ASCs were harvested,and their phenotype was identified.The ASCs were cultured onto the PLA fibrous membrane.Twenty-four New Zealand male rabbits were randomly divided into two groups.In male rabbits,a urethral mucosal defect was created,and urethroplasty performed only using a PLA fibrous membrane (12 rabbits; control group) or using a PLA fibrous membrane seeded with ASCs (12 rabbits; experimental group).The animals were euthanized at 4th and 6th week after urethroplasty,and their urethral grafts were harvested and analyzed grossly and histologically.The bladder of rabbit was observed during the operation.Results Twenty-one rabbits were involved in the result analysis.The phenotype of the isolated cells was CD44 positive,CD105 and CD45 negative,which were in accordance with the characteristics of ASCs.After 6 weeks,there was evidence of stratified epithelial cells and some smooth muscle fibers in the experimental group,and single layer of epithelium cells with disorganized muscle fibre was observed in the control group.Gross view of the bladder revealed the rate of stricture in the experimental group was lower than in the control group (27.3％ vs.60.0％,P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Urethral reconstruction with a PLA fibrous membrane seeded with ASCs could form the tissues similar to corpus cavernous urethra. Key words: Adipose derived stem cells; Polylactid acid fibrous membrane; Tissue engineering