Short bowel syndrome: experimental approach to increase intestinal surface in rats by gastric homologous acellular matrix
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Updated: Oct 13, 2026
Tissue Engineering of the Intestine in a Murine Model
Published on: December 1, 2012
P P Parnigotto1, M Marzaro, T Artusi
1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Padua, Italy.
Background/Purpose:
In this preliminary work the authors used homologous acellular matrix obtained by the gastric wall to increase the small bowel surface in Sprague-Downey rats; through this experimental model the authors verified that homologous acellular matrix can support cell migration and the reconstruction of the intestinal wall.
Methods:
A tract of about 2 cm of tubular gastric acellular matrix was inserted with bilateral anastomosis in an isolated ileal loop, which was located in endoabdominal position through a short subcutaneous tunnel. Twelve animals were analyzed at each of the time-points ranging from 1 to 6 weeks after surgery.
Results:
Histologic evaluation showed that the implanted matrix can be reintegrated in the normal small bowel in a period ranging between 3 and 6 weeks from surgery. The implanted matrix was organized with 4 different tonacae from the third week after the surgery, without interruption at the site of the anastomosis.
Conclusions:
To date, the authors do not have a demonstration of the function of the ileal loop reconstructed with this technique; based on these results the authors are engaged in an experimental trial of restoration of intestinal viability with the ileal prosthesis after 3 weeks to study its function.
