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Bladder Regeneration Using Multiple Acellular Scaffolds with Growth Factors in a Bladder
Luc A J Roelofs1, Paul K J D de Jonge1, Egbert Oosterwijk1
11 Department of Urology, Radboudumc Amalia Children's Hospital, Radboud University Medical Center , Nijmegen, The Netherlands .
Tissue Engineering. Part A
|March 22, 2017
Summary
Multiple collagen-heparin scaffolds enhance bladder tissue regeneration in pigs. Collagen-heparin scaffolds promoted larger regenerated areas compared to plain collagen, indicating potential for bladder augmentation.
Area of Science:
- Regenerative Medicine
- Biomaterials Science
- Urology
Background:
- Tissue engineering offers an alternative to traditional bladder augmentation.
- Large scaffolds can lead to fibrosis and shrinkage, limiting clinical application.
- Investigating multiple smaller scaffolds may improve bladder regeneration and capacity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the use of multiple scaffolds for enhanced bladder tissue regeneration and capacity.
- To compare the biological activity of acellular collagen, collagen-heparin, and collagen-heparin with growth factors (GFs) scaffolds.
- To assess scaffold performance in a large animal model.
Main Methods:
- Three types of bovine type I collagen scaffolds (collagen, collagen-heparin, collagen-heparin with GFs) were implanted in porcine bladders.
- Scaffolds were loaded with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), and heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF).
- Urodynamic and histological evaluations were performed 3 months post-implantation, compared to sham controls.
Main Results:
- The collagen-heparin group showed the largest regenerated area, while the collagen-only group showed the least.
- Histology revealed normal urothelial layers, good angiogenesis, and comparable smooth muscle cell ingrowth across all groups.
- No significant differences in bladder capacity or compliance were detected due to high native values in the animal model.
Conclusions:
- Implanting multiple collagen-heparin scaffolds in porcine bladders is feasible and results in regenerated tissue similar to native bladder.
- Collagen scaffolds incorporating heparin led to greater regenerated tissue area.
- Further studies with larger scaffolds and varying numbers are needed to determine optimal parameters for clinically significant bladder augmentation.
