In vitro and in vivo proposal of an artificial esophagus.
Artificial materials and autologous tissues used for esophageal reconstruction often induce complications like stenosis and leakage at long-term follow-up. This study evaluates the possibility to obtain in vitro an implantable tissue-engineered esophagus composed of homologous esophageal acellular matrix and autologous smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Acellular matrices obtained by detergent-enzymatic method did not present any major histocompatibility complex marker and expressed bFGF as protein, showing angiogenic activity in vivo on the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). Moreover, they supported cell adhesion, and inasmuch as just after 24 h from seeding, the scaffold appeared completely covered by SMCs. To verify the biocompatibility of our constructs, defects created in the porcine esophageal wall were covered using homologous acellular matrices with and without cultures of autologous SMCs. At 3 week from surgery, the patches composed of only acellular matrices showed a more severe inflammatory response and were negative for alpha-smooth muscle actin immunostaining. In contrast, the cell-matrix implants presented ingrowth of SMCs, showing an early organization into small fascicules. Collectively, these results suggest that patches composed of homologous esophageal acellular matrix and autologous SMCs may represent a promising tissue-engineering approach for the repair of esophageal injuries.
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Treviso Regional Hospital, Treviso, Italy.
Maurizio
M
Marzaro
Simonetta
S
Vigolo
Barbara
B
Oselladore
Maria Teresa
MT
Conconi
Domenico
D
Ribatti
Stefano
S
Giuliani
Beatrice
B
Nico
Giampiero
G
Perrino
Gastone Giovanni
GG
Nussdorfer
Pier Paolo
PP
Parnigotto
D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D004947:Esophagus; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D013552:Swine; D023822:Tissue Engineering
D001672:Biocompatible Materials