Regeneration of the trachea using a bioengineered scaffold with adipose-derived stem cells.
OBJECTIVE
Our group has developed and clinically applied an artificial graft made from a collagen sponge scaffold for the regeneration of tracheal tissue. However, the artificial graft requires about 2 months for epithelial regeneration. The purpose of the present study was to accelerate the regeneration process of the trachea through the effective use of a bioengineered scaffold. Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) with multilineage differentiation capability were used. In our study, we implanted a bioengineered scaffold that included autologous ASCs into tracheal defects in rats.


METHODS
Collagen gel, including ASCs labeled with monomeric yellow fluorescent protein, was layered onto the surface of the collagen sponge to form a bioengineered scaffold. This scaffold was implanted into the tracheal defects in rats. A control scaffold without ASCs was also implanted.


RESULTS
On day 14 after implantation, a pseudostratified columnar epithelium with well-differentiated ciliated and goblet cells and neovascularization was observed in rats that received the implant with the bioengineered scaffold that included ASCs.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggested that implanted ASCs accelerated neovascularization and epithelialization on the regenerated trachea. Thus, our newly developed bioengineered scaffold contributes to tracheal regeneration.
Suzuki
Teruhisa
T
Department of Otolaryngology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima 960-1925, Japan.
Kobayashi
Ken
K
Tada
Yasuhiro
Y
Suzuki
Yukie
Y
Wada
Ikuo
I
Nakamura
Tatuo
T
Omori
Koichi
K
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000166:cytology*; D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D001698:Biomedical Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D014132:Trachea / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000637:transplantation
D000941:Antigens