Journal of Stem Cell Research & Therapy

Abstract

Functional Nerve-Vascular Reconstitution of the Bladder-Wall; Application of Patch Transplantation of Skeletal Muscle-Derived Multipotent Stem Cell Sheet-Pellets

Shuichi Soeda, Tetsuro Tamaki, Hiroyuki Hashimoto, Kosuke Saito, Akihiro Sakai, Nobuyuki Nakajima, Kenei Nakazato, Maki Masuda and Toshiro Terachi

A three-dimensional gel-patch-like nerve-vascular reconstitution system using the Skeletal Muscle-Derived Multipotent Stem Cell (Sk-MSC) sheet-pellet was applied to the reconstitution of the severely damaged bladder wall as a non-skeletal muscle tissue, but has high demand for function. The Sk-MSC sheet-pellet was prepared by the mild detachment of expanded/confluent cells in culture with EDTA, then, collected in a tube and centrifuged. The sheetpellet was pasted on the open thin-walled region of the damaged bladder wall made by myotomy (remove one-third of serosal smooth muscle layer associate with large disruptions of nerve-blood vessel networks retaining the mucosal layer). At 4 wk after transplantation, significant prevention of the reduction in the passive wall-tension, and the positive wall-contraction via electrical stimulation was observed in the transplanted group. Supporting these functional results, immunohistochemical and immunoelectron microscopic analysis revealed that the engrafted cells actively contributed to the reconstitution of blood vessels and peripheral nerves with differentiation into pericytes, endothelial cells, and Schwann cells. However, skeletal and smooth muscle formation was not observed. Thus, this method is potentially useful for the reconstitution of nerve-vascular networks in the bladder-wall to be retaining function such as passive tension and contractile function.