Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2018
Abstract
There is a need for efficient and "off-The-shelf" grafts in urethral reconstructive surgery. Currently available surgical techniques require harvesting of grafts from autologous sites, with increased risk of surgical complications and added patient discomfort. Therefore, a cost-effective and cell-free graft with adequate regenerative potential has a great chance to be translated into clinical practice. Tubular cell-free collagen grafts were prepared by varying the collagen density and fiber distribution, thereby creating a polarized low fiber density collagen graft (LD-graft). A uniform, high fiber density collagen graft (HD-graft) was engineered as a control. These two grafts were implanted to bridge a 2 cm long iatrogenic urethral defect in a rabbit model. Histology revealed that rabbits implanted with the LD-graft had a better smooth muscle regeneration compared to the HD-graft. The overall functional outcome assessed by contrast voiding cystourethrography showed patency of the urethra in 90% for the LD-graft and in 66.6% for the HD-graft. Functional regeneration of the rabbit implanted with the LD-graft could further be demonstrated by successful mating, resulting in healthy offspring. In conclusion, cell-free low-density polarized collagen grafts show better urethral regeneration than high-density collagen grafts.
Keywords
Fiber density, Collagen, Grafts, Rabbit urethral regeneration
Divisions
fac_med
Funders
University Malaya: (UMRG) (RP005G-13HTM and RU028-2015 UM.0000216/HRU.OP),International short-term research fellowship (SNSF: IZK0Z3-171101),Commission of Technology and Innovation of the Swiss Government (CTI project no-16627.1 PFLS-LS)
Publication Title
Scientific Reports
Volume
8
Issue
1
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group