Application of decellularized tilapia skin in rabbit urethral reconstruction: an experimental study.

BACKGROUND

In urethral reconstruction, autologous tissue grafts are subject to various limitations. Decellularized tissue has attracted significant interest in tissue engineering (TE) and regenerative medicine due to great biocompatibility and bioactivity. We investigated the effect of decellularized tilapia skin (DTS) in a rabbit urethral defect model to explore its feasibility and effectiveness as a TE construction for urethral reconstruction.

METHODS

Fresh tilapia skins were decellularized and verified through its residual deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) content measurement. The physical properties and degradation profile of DTS were characterized as well. Finally, we established a rabbit urethral defect model and evaluated the effect of DTS on urethral defect healing through pathological examination and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining.

RESULTS

The residual DNA content in the DTS was 32.94 ng/mg. Electron microscopy showed that the DTS retained its three-dimensional structure. , degradation experiments showed that DTS degraded at a faster rate than that of small intestinal submucosa (SIS). After implantation of the DTS, the penile tissue was well repaired. In the early stage of tissue repair, the tissue was gradually replaced by new collagen. In addition, smooth muscle content was significantly increased. No significant immune rejection was observed in the tissues during the repair process and the inflammatory response was significantly milder than other group. Nevertheless, angiogenesis markers, the numbers of blood vessels and blood vessel area in DTS intervention groups were the highest at 4 weeks post-implantation.

CONCLUSIONS

DTS could degrade gradually during urethral reconstruction and demonstrated its better biocompatibility in terms of tissue morphology, microanatomy of tissues, severity of inflammation, collagen deposition and angiogenesis in defect region its match control groups. As an excellent TE material, it is expected to be used in clinical urethral reconstruction in future.