Regeneration of tracheal epithelium utilizing a novel bipotential collagen scaffold.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel bipotential collagen scaffold as a bioengineered trachea for the regeneration of the tracheal epithelium.


METHODS
The bipotential collagen scaffold was developed by conjugating a collagen vitrigel membrane to a collagen sponge in order to promote both epithelial cell growth and mesenchymal cell infiltration. The bipotential collagen scaffold was transplanted into tracheal defects in rats, and a conventional collagen sponge was implanted as a control model. Histologic examinations were undertaken to evaluate the results.


RESULTS
The bioengineered trachea was covered with epithelium in the vitrigel model, but not in the control model, at 7 days after implantation. At 14 days after implantation, the bioengineered trachea was covered with epithelium involving the basal cell layer in the vitrigel model. At 28 days after implantation, a columnar ciliated epithelium was observed only in the vitrigel model.


CONCLUSIONS
Our technique for trachea reconstruction using a novel bipotential collagen scaffold affords a feasible approach for accelerating epithelial regeneration on the intraluminal surface of the host tracheal defect.
Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.
Yasuhiro
Y
Tada
Teruhisa
T
Suzuki
Toshiaki
T
Takezawa
Yukio
Y
Nomoto
Ken
K
Kobayashi
Tatuo
T
Nakamura
Koichi
K
Omori
D000818:Animals; D003094:Collagen / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D048091:Guided Tissue Regeneration / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014132:Trachea / Q000473:pathology*; D014135:Tracheal Stenosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing
D003094:Collagen