Construction of tissue-engineered corpus cavernosum with muscle-derived stem cells and transplantation in vivo.
OBJECTIVE
• To investigate the feasibility of tissue-engineered corpus cavernosum (TECC) with muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) as seed cells and determine the growth potential in vivo.


METHODS
• Acellular corporal collagen matrices (ACCMs) were obtained from adult rabbit penis by a cell removal procedure. MDSCs were separated and purified using a digestion method and Preplate technique, then seeded on ACCMs at a concentration of 30 × 10(6) cells/mL to construct TECCs. After 5 days of culture, seeded ACCMs were implanted with albuginea of rabbits. The implants were retrieved at 2, 4 and 6 months after implantation. • Histochemistry, immunohistochemisry and scanning electron microscopy were performed to analyse the morphological characteristics of the TECCs.


RESULTS
• The decellularization process successfully extracted all cellular components while preserving the original collagen fibres. • Histological analyses of the explants at all time points in the experimental group had more cells and better arranged growth than the control group. α-Smooth muscle actin and endothelial nitric oxide synthase-positive cells were more prevalent in the experimental group.


CONCLUSIONS
• Our study showed that MDSCs can be seeded on three-dimensional ACCM scaffolds and develop tissues that are similar to native normal corpus cavernosum.
Ji
Chenyang
C
Department of Plastic Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhengzhou, China.
Min
Fuli
F
Liang
Weiqiang
W
Chen
Yuhong
Y
Pan
Shujuan
S
Bin
Lianjie
L
Chen
Shihong
S
Wei
Zhe
Z
He
Tao
T
Gu
Yanhui
Y
Zhang
Jinming
J
D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005109:Extracellular Matrix; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D032342:Muscle Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000166:cytology; D010413:Penis / Q000166:cytology* / Q000601:surgery; D011817:Rabbits; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds