You have accessJournal of UrologyPediatrics: Basic Research1 Apr 2010274 UTILIZATION OF SILK AS A NOVEL BIOMATERIAL IN BLADDER AUGMENTATION Glenn Cannon, Joshua Mauney, Edward Gong, Richard Yu, Roslyn Adam, and Carlos Estrada Glenn CannonGlenn Cannon More articles by this author , Joshua MauneyJoshua Mauney More articles by this author , Edward GongEdward Gong More articles by this author , Richard YuRichard Yu More articles by this author , Roslyn AdamRoslyn Adam More articles by this author , and Carlos EstradaCarlos Estrada More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2010.02.335AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES The ideal biomaterial for bladder tissue engineering remains elusive. Silk has been utilized in vascular and orthopedic applications, and possesses physical and biological properties well suited for urologic applications. We hypothesize that silk scaffolds can be utilized for bladder tissue engineering. METHODS Silk fibroin solution from Bombyx mori silkworm cocoons were woven into patches using gel spinning. Bladder augmentations were performed in 25 CD-1 female mice with non-cell seeded silk, PGA, or SIS patches (0.5 cm2). Sham procedures of cystotomy only were performed. Postoperative assessment at 1, 3, 6, and 10 weeks included: 1) voiding stain on paper (VSOP) testing for qualitative and quantitative assessment of voiding, 2) ultrasound to assess bladder and renal appearance, 3) pathological analysis including Masson trichrome and immunofluorescence of smooth muscle (alpha actin) and urothelial (uroplakin IIIa) markers, and 4) Urodynamics (bladder capacity, voided volume, urinary flow rate, and bladder compliance). Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA with post-hoc Bonferroni testing. RESULTS VSOP revealed normalization of voiding pattern in silk-augmented mice at 1 week that persisted to 10 weeks. Renal and bladder ultrasound demonstrated normal kidneys and gradual bladder remodeling over 10 weeks. Histological analysis of silk-augmented bladders revealed complete organized bladder tissue formation without fibrosis around the silk scaffolds by 10 weeks. The new tissue stained robustly for alpha actin (Figure 1) and uroplakin IIIa (Figure 2). 10 weeks after augmentation, mean capacity of silk-augmented bladders was 207 (mcL) v. 51 for controls (p<0.0001). Mean compliance for silk-augmented bladders was 12.0 (mcL/cm H2O) v. 8.4 for controls (p=0.023), 3.9 for PGA-augmented bladders (p=0.0001), and 5.5 for SIS-augmented bladders (p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Unseeded silk scaffolds promote formation of organized and functional bladder tissue in mice. In addition, silk produces superior compliance compared to conventional biomaterials. This represents a new option for urologic tissue engineering applications. Boston, MA© 2010 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 183Issue 4SApril 2010Page: e108 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2010 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Glenn Cannon More articles by this author Joshua Mauney More articles by this author Edward Gong More articles by this author Richard Yu More articles by this author Roslyn Adam More articles by this author Carlos Estrada More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...