A biomechanical assessment of tissue-engineered polymer neo-uteri after orthotopic implantation.

Autores de IIS La Fe

• Irene Cervelló Alcaraz

  Autor

Participantes ajenos a IIS La Fe

• Nordberg RC
• Magalhaes RS
• Williams JK
• Atala A
• Loboa EG

Grupos

• Biología Reproductiva y Bioingeniería en Reproducción Humana

  

  Leader

  Nicolás Garrido Puchalt

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the in vivo biomechanical maturation of tissue-engineered neo-uteri that have previously supported live births in a rabbit model. DESIGN: Non-clinical animal study. SETTING: University-based research laboratory. SUBJECTS: Eighteen adult female rabbits. INTERVENTION: Biodegradable poly-DL-lactide-co-glycolide-coated polyglycolic acid scaffolds seeded with autologous uterine-derived endometrial and myometrial cells. Non-seeded scaffolds and seeded, tissue-engineered neo-uteri were implanted into one uterine horn of rabbits for 1, 3, or 6 months, excised, and biomechanically assessed in comparison to native uterine tissue. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Tensile stress-relaxation testing, strain-to-failure testing, viscoelastic modeling. RESULTS: By evaluating the biomechanical data with several viscoelastic models, it was revealed that tissue-engineered uteri were more mechanically robust than non-seeded scaffolds. For example, the 10% instantaneous stress of the tissue-engineered neo-uteri was 2.1 times higher than the non-seeded scaffolds at the 1-month time point, 1.6 times higher at the 3-month time point, and 1.5 times higher at the 6-month time point. Additionally, as the duration of implantation increased, the engineered constructs became more mechanically robust (e.g., 10% instantaneous stress of the tissue engineered neo-uteri increased from 22 kPa at 1 month to 42 kPa at 6 months). Compared to native tissue values, tissue engineered neo-uteri achieved or surpassed native tissue values by the 6-month time point. CONCLUSION: The present study evaluated the mechanical characteristics of novel tissue-engineered neo-uteri that have previously been reported to support live births in the rabbit model. We demonstrate that the biomechanics of these implants closely resemble that of native tissue, giving further credence to their development as a clinical solution to uterine factor infertility.

Published by Elsevier Inc.

Keywords

• polymeric scaffold; uterine-derived cells; uterus; viscoelastic model