Composite Scaffolds Based on Intestinal Extracellular Matrices and Oxidized Polyvinyl Alcohol: A Preliminary Study for a New Regenerative Approach in Short Bowel Syndrome

Abstract

Pediatric Short Bowel Syndrome is a rare malabsorption disease occurring because of massive surgical resections of the small intestine. To date, the issues related to current strategies including intestinal transplantation prompted the attention towards tissue engineering (TE). This work aimed to develop and compare two composite scaffolds for intestinal TE consisting of a novel hydrogel, that is, oxidized polyvinyl alcohol (OxPVA), cross-linked with decellularized intestinal wall as a whole (wW/OxPVA) or homogenized (hW/OxPVA). A characterization of the supports was performed by histology and Scanning Electron Microscopy and their interaction with adipose mesenchymal stem cells occurred by MTT assay. Finally, the scaffolds were implanted in the omentum of Sprague Dawley rats for 4 weeks prior to being processed by histology and immunohistochemistry (CD3; F4/80; Ki-67; desmin; α-SMA; MNF116). In vitro studies proved the effectiveness of the decellularization, highlighting the features of the matrices; moreover, both supports promoted cell adhesion/proliferation even if the wW/OxPVA ones were more effective (p < 0.01). Analysis of explants showed a continuous and relatively organized tissue wall around the supports with a connective appearance, such as myofibroblastic features, smooth muscle, and epithelial cells. Both scaffolds, albeit with some difference, were promising; nevertheless, further analysis will be necessary.

Halogen-Mediated Partial Oxidation of Polyvinyl Alcohol for Tissue Engineering Purposes

“…Firstly, we successfully fabricated composite scaffolds by combining the polymer with bioactive extracellular matrices (ECMs). Decellularized, homogenized and lyophilized sheets from articular cartilage, Wharton's Jelly and small intestine were cross-linked to PVA, obtaining bio-hybrid supports that sustained cell adhesion and proliferation [25][26][27]. In parallel, we proposed for the first time a standardized method to perform chemical oxidation of PVA by KMnO 4 in acid environment, in order to obtain scaffolds with improved swelling kinetics and protein adsorption/release ability with respect to neat PVA, as well as with tunable biodegradation properties which increase along with the degree of oxidation [19,22,23].…”

Tissue-Engineered Grafts from Human Decellularized Extracellular Matrices: A Systematic Review and Future Perspectives

“…The main issue related to SBS, which can also be congenital, is reduction of the absorptive surface with a consequent malabsorption condition. The high morbidity and mortality associated to SBS have prompted the research towards the identification of new treatment strategies, including tissue engineering [244]. Despite the high interest to develop a bioengineered intestine, only one research group considered human tissues to this purpose [245].…”

Infrapatellar Fat Pad Stem Cells Responsiveness to Microenvironment in Osteoarthritis: From Morphology to Function

“…Formazan precipitates were dissolved in 2-propanol acid (0.04 M HCl in 2-propanol) and optical density was measured at 570 nm, using a Microplate autoreader EL 13. Results were expressed as number of cells grown on seeded surface (Grandi et al, 2018). Determining cell number was allowed by the standard curve previously developed (Gerlier and Thomasset, 1986).…”