Mesenchymal stem cell tailored bioengineered scaffolds derived from bubaline diaphragm and aortic matrices for reconstruction of abdominal wall defects

Abstract

Bioengineered scaffolds derived from the decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) obtained from discarded animal organs and tissues are attractive candidates for regenerative medicine applications. Tailoring these scaffolds with stem cells enhances their regeneration potential making them a suitable platform for regenerating damaged tissues. Thus, the study was designed to investigate the potential of mesenchymal stem cells tailored acellular bubaline diaphragm and aortic ECM for the repair of full‐thickness abdominal wall defects in a rabbit model. Tissues obtained from bubaline diaphragm and aorta were decellularized and bioengineered by seeding with rabbit bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (r‐BMSC). Full‐thickness abdominal wall defects of 3 cm × 4 cm size were created in a rabbit model and repaired using five different prostheses, namely, polypropylene sheet, nonseeded diaphragm ECM, nonseeded aorta ECM, r‐BMSC bioengineered diaphragm ECM, and r‐BMSC bioengineered aorta ECM. Results from the study revealed that biological scaffolds are superior in comparison to synthetic polymer mesh for regeneration in terms of collagen deposition, maturation, neovascularization, and lack of any significant (P > 0.05) adhesions with the abdominal viscera. Seeding with r‐BMSC significantly increased (P < 0.05) the collagen deposition and biomechanical strength of the scaffolds. The bioengineered r‐BMSC seeded acellular bubaline diaphragm showed even superior biomechanical strength as compared to synthetic polymer mesh. Tailoring of the scaffolds with the r‐BMSC also resulted in significant reduction (P < 0.01) in antibody and cell mediated immune reactions to the xenogeneic scaffolds in rabbit model.

The dorsal portion of the bovine diaphragm as a useful tissue for producing a 3D muscle scaffold

“…Most studies on the muscle decellularization scaffold have been conducted in rodents, only a few in larger species such as the dog (Turner et al, 2010(Turner et al, , 2012, rabbit (Gamba et al, 2002;Porzionato et al, 2015), pig (Boso et al, 2021) and bovine (Patel et al, 2019;Remya et al, 2020). The present study shows that the peculiar anatomical structure of the bovine diaphragm makes it an excellent candidate for the development of a 3D muscle organoid; in particular, the dorsal portion of the diaphragm is of interest, as it presents a regular alternation of muscular and fibrous layers and a low-cost availability.…”

“…Although the diaphragm of large animals can be an interesting basis for 3D organoid preparation, few studies have been published about this tissue source. Remya et al (2020) presented comparative research focusing on the decellularization of different bovine tissues, among which the diaphragm resulted best suited for repairing abdominal wall defects. This study was designed to evaluate whether the bovine multilayered diaphragm could be decellularized to obtain a muscle ECM scaffold.…”

Abdominal wall hernia repair: from prosthetic meshes to smart materials

“…The human abdominal wall is a well-structured construction of skin, subcutaneous fat tissues, several muscle layers, preperitoneal fascia, and peritoneum that attach to each other and the bone to hold the abdominal cavity contents. It has a pivotal role in the protection of postural assistance and abdominal pressure stabilization [ 1 , 2 ]. An abdominal hernia can occur when weak, defective, and injured areas in the abdominal wall allowing the protrude of abdominal organs of part of any organ [ 3 ].…”