To evaluate the histological characteristics of decellularized human urethra after transplantation into the rat omentum and compare in vivo cell seeding with perfusion-based and cell sheet urethral regeneration. Eight adult human male urethras accompanied with the surrounding corpus spongiosum were obtained. The tissues were decellularized with detergent-based method. The efficacy of decellularization and extracellular matrix preservation was evaluated by several techniques. Decellularized scaffolds were transplanted into the omentum of 12 male rats and located into the scrotum. Biopsies were taken 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively to assess the natural recellularization. Mesenchymal stem cells obtained from preputial tissue were seeded with perfusion-based and cell sheet techniques as well. Immunohistochemical staining with α-actin, cytokeratin AE1/AE3, synaptophysin, and CD31 antibodies were performed. Removal of nuclear components and preservation of biomechanical properties was confirmed. In-vivo recellularization revealed promising results in progressive angiogenesis and cell seeding of epithelium-like cells in the lining of the urethra as well as smooth muscle cells in the wall structure. In-vitro urethral regeneration revealed that cell sheet engineering was the technique of choice compared to perfusion-based technique. This study may paw the road for clinical application of acellular urethral matrix with the surrounding corpus spongiosum in urological reconstructive surgery.
The feasibility of natural bioreactor in recellularizing corpus cavernosum was confirmed. This technique may have the potential to facilitate homologous transplantation for repair of corpus defects.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.