ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the feasibility of constructing tissue engineering urethral substituted graft using human lingual keratinocytes and natural derived scaffold.Methods From Oct.2009to Jan.2010,ten patients with anterior urethral stricture were enrolled in this study.A 0.5 × 0.8 cm lingual mucosa was harvested during the operation.Lingual keratinocytes were then isolated and cultured from the mucosa.AE1/AE3 antibody was used to identify the lingual keratinocytes.Keratinocytes were collected and seeded onto three types of scaffold including dehydrated BAMG,liquid stored BAMG and 4-layer SIS product,with the density of 1 × 107/ml at passage three.After being cultured for seven days in vitro,H&E staining and Electronic Scan Microscopy were used to evaluate the compound matrixes.Results No complication occurred in the patients after operation.The primary passage of confluence lingual keratinocytes appeared in a typical cobblestone shape after being cultured for 14 days in vitro.The proliferation rate of these cells increased rapidly during the three passages.However,it decreased significantly in the 4th passage.H&E and Electronic Scan Microscopy examinations showed that few cells grew on the surface of the liquid stored BAMG.Nevertheless,multiple keratinocytes layers could be seen in dehydrated BAMG and 4-layer SIS.Meanwhile,cellular infiltration could be observed in SIS sections.Conclusions Human lingual keratinocytes could be the alternative of seeding cells for constructing tissues for engineering the urethra.These cells exhibited good compatibility and are adhesive to the SIS or BAMG.The compound matrix,which used human lingual keratinocytes and natural derived scaffold,may meet the clinical need of urethral disease in the future.