Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA.
Tissue Eng Part A. 2010 Jun;16(6):2101-12. doi: 10.1089/ten.tea.2009.0457.
Spontaneous preterm birth is a frequent complication of pregnancy and a common cause of morbidity in childhood. Obstetricians suspect abnormalities of the cervix are implicated in a significant number of preterm births. The cervix is composed of fibrous connective tissue and undergoes significant remodeling in preparation for birth. We hypothesized that a tissue engineering strategy could be used to develop three-dimensional cervical-like tissue constructs that would be suitable for investigating cervical remodeling. Cervical cells were isolated from two premenopausal women undergoing hysterectomy for a benign gynecological condition, and the cells were seeded on porous silk scaffolds in the presence or absence of dynamic culture and with 10% or 20% serum. Morphological, biochemical, and mechanical properties were measured during the 8-week culture period. Cervical cells proliferated in three-dimensions and synthesized an extracellular matrix with biochemical constituents and morphology similar to native tissue. Compared to static culture, dynamic culture was associated with significantly increased collagen deposition (p < 0.05), sulfated glycosaminoglycan synthesis (p < 0.05), and mechanical stiffness (p < 0.05). Serum concentration did not affect measured variables. Relevant human tissue-engineered cervical-like constructs constitute a novel model system for a range of fundamental and applied studies related to cervical remodeling.
自发性早产是妊娠的常见并发症，也是儿童发病的常见原因。妇产科医生怀疑宫颈异常与相当数量的早产有关。宫颈由纤维结缔组织组成，在为分娩做准备时会经历显著的重塑。我们假设可以采用组织工程策略来开发类似于宫颈的三维组织构建体，以适合研究宫颈重塑。从两名因良性妇科疾病而行子宫切除术的绝经前妇女中分离宫颈细胞，并在存在或不存在动态培养以及 10%或 20%血清的情况下将细胞接种到多孔丝支架上。在 8 周的培养期间测量了形态、生化和机械性能。宫颈细胞在三维空间中增殖，并合成了具有与天然组织相似的生化成分和形态的细胞外基质。与静态培养相比，动态培养与胶原沉积显著增加（p < 0.05）、硫酸化糖胺聚糖合成（p < 0.05）和机械硬度增加（p < 0.05）相关。血清浓度不影响测量变量。相关的人组织工程宫颈样构建体构成了一个新的模型系统，可用于与宫颈重塑相关的一系列基础和应用研究。
