Myoblast transplantation to defecation muscles in a rat model: a possible treatment strategy for fecal incontinence after the repair of imperforate anus.
OBJECTIVE
Infants with higher anorectal anomalies often develop fecal incontinence after surgical reconstruction mainly due to the incomplete development of defecation muscles. We investigated the possibility of defecation muscle regeneration by myoblast transplantation to improve fecal continence.


METHODS
Myoblasts from F344 female rats at ages of 1 day, 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, and 12 weeks were prepared by a preplating method. In vivo muscle differentiation of myoblasts was evaluated using immunofluorescence after transplantation of GFP-positive myoblasts into nude mice, the damaged thigh muscles, and the levator ani muscle of GFP-negative rats.


RESULTS
The ratios of myoblasts obtained from 1 day, 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, and 12-week-old rats were 35, 71, 65, 61, 52, 44, and 23%, respectively. Myotube formation by transplanted myoblasts was observed in the back of nude mice. Myoblasts transplanted into damaged thigh muscles were integrated into recipient muscles with myofiber formation. Transferred myoblasts formed myotubes surrounding the levator ani muscle, although myofiber formation was not observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Myoblasts were most efficiently obtained from juvenile rats. Myoblast transplantation may provide a novel treatment strategy for improving fecal continence after repair of anorectal anomalies in infants.
Saihara
Ryoko
R
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.
Komuro
Hiroaki
H
Urita
Yasuhisa
Y
Hagiwara
Kouki
K
Kaneko
Michio
M
D000818:Animals; D001006:Anus, Imperforate / Q000601:surgery*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005242:Fecal Incontinence / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000601:surgery*; D032446:Myoblasts / Q000637:transplantation*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Anat Rec. 1998 May;251(1):20-7
9605216
Science. 1979 Sep 21;205(4412):1292-4
472747
Urology. 2003 Nov;62(5):958-63
14624934
Transplantation. 2003 Oct 15;76(7):1053-60
14557752
J Neurocytol. 1995 Apr;24(4):319-31
7643135
Cell Transplant. 1998 Nov-Dec;7(6):585-98
9853587
Dev Biol. 2006 Jun 1;294(1):50-66
16554047
Nature. 2005 Feb 17;433(7027):760-4
15716955
Urology. 2004 Apr;63(4):780-5
15072911
J Immunol. 1992 Jul 15;149(2):661-7
1352532
BJU Int. 2002 Feb;89(3):298-302
11856115
Semin Pediatr Surg. 1995 Feb;4(1):35-47
7728507
J Cell Sci. 1998 Nov;111 ( Pt 22):3287-97
9788871
Aging Cell. 2008 Aug;7(4):590-8
18462272
Cell Transplant. 2007;16(7):741-9
18019363
Cell Prolif. 2004 Aug;37(4):267-77
15245563
Stem Cells. 2007 Apr;25(4):885-94
17218401