BACKGROUND:Traditional bladder repair methods have many problems such as damage to normal organ function and many postoperative complications. Tissue engineering technology provides a new way for bladder repair.
OBJECTIVE:To explore the feasibility of constructing tissue-engineered bladder with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) nanoparticle-bacterial celulose (BC) composite scaffold with rabbit lingual epithelial cels andtonguemuscle cels.
METHODS:Rabbit lingual epithelial cels andmuscle cels were successively implanted onto the BC scaffold (control group) and VEGF-BC scaffold (experimental group). Six rabbits were taken to make bladder defect models and randomized into two groups: experimental group implanted with VEGF-BC scaffold carrying autologous lingual epithelial cels andtonguemuscle cels,and control group implanted with BC scaffold carrying autologous lingual epithelial cels andtonguemuscle cels. Specimens were taken from the two groups for urographic evaluation and histological examination at 3 months after implantation. Meanwhile, the urodynamic tests were performed.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The experimental group showed the relatively complete bladder, and the control group showed a smal-area filing defect of the bladder. The maximum bladder capacity and bladder compliance in both two groups were decreased after implantation, especialy significantly in the control group (P< 0.05). In the control group, it failed to build a complete epithelial cel layer, and the muscle layer and microvessels were formed a little. In the experimental group, the complete epithelial cel layer was formed, and a larger amount of muscle layers and capilaries appeared. These findings indicate that the VEGF-BC scaffold carrying lingual epithelial cels andtonguemuscle cels can be used to construct thetissue-engineered bladder.