Foster Christopher, Tran Ryan, Grover Khushi, Salama Abdullah, Rowe Courtney K
Department of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06032, USA.
College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of New England, Biddeford, ME 04005, USA.
Methods Protoc. 2025 Aug 15;8(4):96. doi: 10.3390/mps8040096.
Urethral strictures impact millions, causing significant morbidity and millions in healthcare costs. Testing new interventions is limited by the lack of inexpensive urethral healing models. We developed an ex vivo model of early urethral wound healing using explanted rabbit urethral tissue. This was used to test the impact of six growth factors (GFs).
The rabbit urethra was detubularized by cutting it between the corpora cavernosa, and then it was stitched flat using a custom 3D-printed platform. The tissue was carefully scratched to produce a visible wound, and the specimens were placed in media containing growth factors at 100 ng/mL and 10 ng/mL. Images were taken at 0, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h, and the wound area was measured by blinded reviewers to determine the rate of wound contraction.
Specimens with IGF at 100 ng/mL showed a statistically significant difference in wound contraction when compared to those with GF-free control medium, showing that IGF-1 supports early urethral epithelization and may improve healing.
The developed protocol provides a simple explant platform that can be used to investigate methods of enhancing early phases of urethral healing or used to investigate other areas of urethral health, including drug delivery, infection, and mechanical properties.
尿道狭窄影响着数百万人，会导致严重的发病率，并造成数百万美元的医疗费用。由于缺乏廉价的尿道愈合模型，新干预措施的测试受到限制。我们利用离体的兔尿道组织开发了一种早期尿道伤口愈合的体外模型。该模型用于测试六种生长因子（GFs）的影响。
通过在阴茎海绵体之间切割将兔尿道去管状化，然后使用定制的3D打印平台将其平整缝合。小心刮擦组织以产生可见伤口，将标本置于含有100 ng/mL和10 ng/mL生长因子的培养基中。在0、24、48、72和96小时拍摄图像，由不知情的评审人员测量伤口面积以确定伤口收缩率。
与无生长因子的对照培养基相比，含有100 ng/mL胰岛素样生长因子（IGF）的标本在伤口收缩方面显示出统计学上的显著差异，表明IGF-1支持早期尿道上皮形成并可能改善愈合。
所开发的方案提供了一个简单的外植体平台，可用于研究增强尿道愈合早期阶段的方法，或用于研究尿道健康的其他领域，包括药物递送、感染和力学性能。
