The Application of Tissue Engineering Procedures to Repair the Larynx

Abstract

The field of tissue engineering/regenerative medicine combines the quantitative principles of engineering with the principles of the life sciences toward the goal of reconstituting structurally and functionally normal tissues and organs. There has been relatively little application of tissue engineering efforts toward the organs of speech, voice, and hearing. The present manuscript describes a study that was conducted in which a biologic scaffold derived from porcine (pig) extracellular matrix (ECM) was used to repair the defect following a hemilaryngectomy procedure in dogs. The ECM-augmented repair was compared with a control standard strap muscle (STM) procedure. The animals were sacrificed after 24 weeks at which time anatomic and histologic analyses were conducted. The ECM repair resulted in a macroscopic and microscopic reconstruction of laryngeal tissue that was superior to that observed with the STM procedure. The importance of regenerated tissue having the same structural and functional characteristics of native tissue is emphasized. A discussion of the mechanisms of ECM remodeling is presented along with the implications of such remodeling in the repair of laryngeal structures.

Acetylated bacterial cellulose coated with urinary bladder matrix as a substrate for retinal pigment epithelium

“…In fact, BC has shown to be an interesting and versatile biomaterial, particularly in tissueengineered applications (tissue scaffolds and drug delivery systems) for the regeneration of damaged or diseased tissues and organs [19][20][21]. Also, UBM has been widely studied in several pre-clinical studies as a biologic scaffold for the reconstruction of damaged tissues [22][23][24][25][26][27][28].…”

Hybrid nanofibrous scaffolds from electrospinning of a synthetic biodegradable elastomer and urinary bladder matrix

“…UBM contains adhesion molecules such as fibronectin and laminin, structural proteins such as collagen and proteoglycans, and growth factors, chemokines and cytokines that could enhance cellular adhesion, migration and proliferation. UBM scaffolds have been shown to promote constructive tissue remodeling in a variety of tissue locations such as the esophagus [19], myocardium [20,21] and larynx [22] making it an attractive material for an ECM-based scaffold.…”

In Vivo Comparison of Biomimetic Approaches for Tissue Regeneration of the Scarred Vocal Fold

“…Cell approaches have included autologous and nonautologous mesenchymal stem cells, [1][2][3] autologous fibroblasts, 4 and human embryonic stem cells. 5 Various engineered scaffolds tested include acellular xenogeneic scaffolds, 6,7 collagen hydrogels, 8 and hyaluronic acid (HA)-based hydrogels. [9][10][11][12] A regenerative medicine approach, that is, cells injected concurrently with an in situ crosslinkable scaffolding, has not been reported to date as an approach for vocal fold regeneration.…”