The effect of human amniotic epithelial cells on urethral stricture fibroblasts

Abstract

Background: Urethral stricture disease (USD) is effectively managed by buccal mucosa (BM) urethroplasty. Lack of adequate healthy BM has led to the use of autologous tissue-engineered BM grafts. Such grafts are costly, not easily scalable and recurrence of the stricture is still a problem. Hence, there is a requirement for cost-effective, scalable cells with innate antifibrotic properties which seem to be fulfilled by human amniotic epithelial cells (HAMECs). The effect of HAMECs on USD is unknown. Aim: To study the effect of HAMECs-CM on human urethral stricture fibroblast (USF) cells by using in-vitro migration assay and molecular techniques. Materials and Methods: USF cells were derived from six patients undergoing urethroplasty. HAMECs were derived from one placenta after delivery. The effect of HAMECs-CM on USF cell migration was observed using a standard in vitro scratch assay over a period of 3 days. The effect of HAMECs-CM on the expression levels of markers alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP-1) in USF cells was also examined. Results: The HAMECs-CM suppressed the migration of USF cells in in vitro scratch assay. The HAMECs-CM consistently downregulated α-SMA, but not TIMP-1. Conclusions: HAMECs have shown antifibrotic activity on USF cells in this in vitro study. Relevance for Patients: HAMECs could serve as an alternative cell source for tissue-engineered urethroplasty.

Striktur Uretra Berulang dengan Kejadian Penggunaan Kateter

“…Penyakit striktur uretra mempengaruhi 0.6% dari populasi pria yang beresiko (Ulfa & Ismahmuhdi, 2018). Passien striktur uretra mungkin mengalami deteriorisasi yang stabil pada saluran urinarinya bersamaan dengan gejala saluran kemih bagia bawah seperti keraguan buang air kecil, pengosongan kandung kemih yang tidak penuh, dan nokturia (Gottipamula et al, 2019). Kasus yang mendasari dan tingkat insidensi tergantung pada umur pasien, ras, geografi, dan status sosioekonomi (Kumar Chokalingam & Sridhar, 2017).…”