title: Repair of urethral defects with polylactid acid fibrous membrane seeded with adipose-derived stem cells in a rabbit model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to evaluate the capacity of polylactid acid (PLA) fibrous membrane seeded with allogeneic rabbit adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) to repair urethral defects in a rabbit model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rabbit ADSCs were harvested and phenotypically characterized. Twenty-four New Zealand male rabbits with 5-mm urethral mucosal defects were randomly divided into two groups. They underwent urethroplasty either with PLA fibrous membrane seeded with ADSCs (group A) or blank PLA fibrous membrane (group B). At 4 and 6 weeks after urethroplasty, the urethral grafts were collected and analyzed grossly and histologically. The incidence rate of urethrostenosis was measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The adipose tissue-derived cells in monolayer culture showed a typical morphology of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). They were positive for the MSC marker CD44 but negative for lineage markers CD45 and CD105. Six weeks after surgery, the incidence rate of urethrostenosis in group A was significantly lower than that in group B (p < 0.05). In group A, the ADSC-seeded grafts showed a normal urethral architecture with a thickened muscle layer. In contrast, the newly developed urethra in group B demonstrated a fewer number of urothelial layers and scarce or no smooth muscle cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The PLA scaffold seeded with ADSCs is effective in urethral regeneration in a rabbit model. ADSCs may represent a promising source of seed cells for urethral tissue engineering.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Urology , The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou , China.
authors.forename: De-juan
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: a Department of Urology , The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou , China.
authors.forename: Mao-yin
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: a Department of Urology , The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou , China.
authors.forename: Wen-tao
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: a Department of Urology , The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou , China.
authors.forename: Min-hua
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: a Department of Urology , The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou , China.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: a Department of Urology , The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou , China.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: a Department of Urology , The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou , China.
authors.forename: Jian-guang
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: a Department of Urology , The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou , China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D064591:Allografts; D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D011091:Polyesters / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011817:Rabbits; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds; D014521:Urethra / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D011091:Polyesters; C033616:poly(lactide)
keywords: Mesenchymal stem cells; polylactid acid; regeneration; seed cells; urethral tissue engineering