title: A surface-modified biodegradable urethral scaffold seeded with urethral epithelial cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Efficient cell adhesion and proliferation is a central issue in cell-based tissue engineering, which offers great promise for repair of urethral defects or strictures. This study evaluated the adhesion and growth of rabbit uroepithelium on a surface-modified three-dimensional poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) scaffold.
  
  
  METHODS
  Urethral mucosa were harvested from male New Zealand rabbits and the urothelium were dissociated and then cultured. Immunocytochemistry on cultured uroepithelium for pancytokeratin and uroplakin II and TE-7 confirmed pure populations. After in vitro proliferation, cells were seeded onto a surface-modified urethral scaffold with non-knitted filaments. The morphology and viability of the cells were examined by immunohistochemical and fluorescence staining. Inverted and scanning microscopes were used to document cell growth and adhesion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three to five days after primary culture, the uroepithelial cells gradually became confluent, assuming a cobblestone pattern. The filaments of the urethral scaffold had excellent biocompatibility and allowed growth of the uroepithelium, without affecting viability. The uroepithelial cells adhered to and grew well on the scaffold. After 3 - 7 days, the cells grew vigorously and meshes of the scaffold were full of uroepitheliums.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The surface-modified urethral scaffold with non-knitted filaments allows the growth of uroepithelium and can serve as a carrier for the tissue engineering of urethra.
authors: Department of Urology, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China. fuweijun@hotmail.com
authors: Wei-Jun
authors: WJ
authors: Fu
authors: Zhong-Xin
authors: ZX
authors: Wang
authors: Gang
authors: G
authors: Li
authors: Bing-Hong
authors: BH
authors: Zhang
authors: Lei
authors: L
authors: Zhang
authors: Kun
authors: K
authors: Hu
authors: Bao-Fa
authors: BF
authors: Hong
authors: Xiao-Xiong
authors: XX
authors: Wang
authors: Fu-Zhai
authors: FZ
authors: Cui
authors: Xu
authors: X
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D019344:Lactic Acid; D008297:Male; D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers; D011817:Rabbits; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D014521:Urethra / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers; D019344:Lactic Acid; C033616:poly(lactide)