Cell therapy is emerging as an alternative treatment of stress urinary incontinence. However, many aspects of the procedure require further optimization. A large animal model is needed to reliably test cell delivery methods. In this study we aim to determine suitability of the goat as an experimental animal for testing intraurethral autologous cell transplantation in terms of urethral anatomy and cell culture parameters. The experiments were performed in 12 mature/aged female goats. Isolated caprine muscle derived cells (MDC) were myogenic in vitro and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) population was able to differentiate into adipo-, osteo- and chondrogenic lineages. The median yield of cells after 3 weeks of culture amounted 47x10(6) for MDC and 37x10(6) for MSC. Urethral pressure prolife measurements revealed the mean functional urethral length of 3.75 ± 0.7 cm. The mean maximal urethral closure pressure amounted 63.5 ± 5.9 cmH2 O and the mean functional area was 123.3 ± 19.4 cm*cmH2 O. The omega- shaped striated urethral sphincter was well developed in the middle and distal third of the urethra and its mean thickness on cross section was 2.3 mm. In the proximal part of the urethra only loosely arranged smooth muscle fibers were identified. To conclude, presented data demonstrate that caprine MDC and MSC can be expanded in vitro in a repeatable manner even when mature or aged animals are cell donors. Results suggest that female caprine urethra has similar parameters to those reported in human and therefore the goat can be an appropriate experimental animal for testing intraurethral cell transplantation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007). 2016 Oct 14 [Epub ahead of print]
A Burdzinska, B Dybowski, W Zarychta-Wisniewska, A Kulesza, R Zagozdzon, Z Gajewski, L Paczek
Department of Immunology, Transplantology and Internal Medicine, Transplantation Institute, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland., Department of Urology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland. ., Department of Immunology, Center of Biostructure Research, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland., Department of Large Animal Diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), Warsaw, Poland.