Three-Dimensional Collagen Matrix Scaffold Implantation as a Liver Regeneration Strategy

Summary

Liver diseases are induced by many causes that promote fibrosis or cirrhosis. Transplantation is the only option for recovering health. However, given the scarcity of transplantable organs, alternatives must be explored. Our research proposes the implantation of collagen scaffolds in liver tissue from an animal model.

Abstract

Liver diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Excessive alcohol consumption, a high-fat diet, and hepatitis C virus infection promote fibrosis, cirrhosis, and/or hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver transplantation is the clinically recommended procedure to improve and extend the life span of patients in advanced disease stages. However, only 10% of transplants are successful, with organ availability, presurgical and postsurgical procedures, and elevated costs directly correlated with that result. Extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds have emerged as an alternative for tissue restoration. Biocompatibility and graft acceptance are the main beneficial characteristics of those biomaterials. Although the capacity to restore the size and correct function of the liver has been evaluated in liver hepatectomy models, the use of scaffolds or some kind of support to replace the volume of the extirpated liver mass has not been assessed.

Partial hepatectomy was performed in a rat liver with the xenoimplantation of a collagen matrix scaffold (CMS) from a bovine condyle. Left liver lobe tissue was removed (approximately 40%), and an equal proportion of CMS was surgically implanted. Liver function tests were evaluated before and after the surgical procedure. After days 3, 14, and 21, the animals were euthanized, and macroscopic and histologic evaluations were performed. On days 3 and 14, adipose tissue was observed surrounding the CMS, with no clinical evidence of rejection or infection, as was vessel neoformation and CMS reabsorption at day 21. There was histologic evidence of an insignificant inflammation process and migration of adjacent cells to the CMS, observed with the hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson's trichrome staining. The CMS was shown to perform well in liver tissue and could be a useful alternative for studying tissue regeneration and repair in chronic liver diseases.

Introduction

The liver is one of the most important organs involved in maintaining homeostasis and protein production¹. Unfortunately, liver disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. In advanced stages of liver damage, which include cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, liver transplantation is the clinically recommended procedure. However, due to the scarcity of donors and the low rate of successful transplants, new techniques in tissue engineering (TE) and regenerative medicine (RM) have been developed^2,3.

TE involves the use of stem cells, scaffolds, and growt....

Protocol

The present research was approved by the ethics committee of the School of Medicine (DI/115/2015) at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and the ethics committee of the Hospital General de Mexico (CI/314/15). The institution fulfills all technical specifications for the production, care, and use of laboratory animals and is legally certified by national law (NOM-062-ZOO-1999). Male Wistar rats weighing 150-250 g (6-8 weeks old) were obtained from the Laboratory Animal Facility of the School of Me.......

Discussion

Organ transplantation is the mainstay of treatment in patients with liver fibrosis or cirrhosis. A few patients benefit from this procedure, making it necessary to provide therapeutic alternatives for patients on the waiting list. Tissue engineering is a promising strategy that employs scaffolds and cells with regenerative potential^2,4,13. The removal of a portion of the liver is a critical step in this procedure because of the .......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Anionic detergent	Alconox	Z273228
Biopsy cassettes	Leica	3802453
Camera DMX	Nikon	DXM1200F
Centrifuge	Eppendorf	5424
Chlorhexidine gluconate 4%	BD	372412
Cover glasses 25 mm x 40 mm	Corning	2980-224
Eosin	Sigma-Aldrich	200-M	CAS 17372-87-1
Ethyl alcohol, pure	Sigma-Aldrich	459836	CAS 64-17-5
Flunixine meglumide	MSD	Q-0273-035
Glass slides 75 mm x 25 mm	Corning	101081022
Hematoxylin	Merck	H9627	CAS 571-28-2
Hydrochloric acid 37%	Merck	339253	CAS 7647-01-0
Ketamine	Pisa agropecuaria	Q-7833-028
Light microscopy	Nikon	Microphoto-FXA
Microtainer yellow cape	Beckton Dickinson	365967
Microtome	Leica	RM2125
Model animal: Wistar rats	Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Nylon 3-0 (Dermalon)	Covidien	1750-41
Polypropylene 7-0	Atramat	SE867/2-60
Povidone-iodine10% cutaneous solution	Diafra SA de CV	1.37E+86
Scaning electronic microscopy	Zeiss	DSM-950
Sodium hydroxide, pellets	J. T. Baker	3722-01	CAS 1310-73-2
Software ACT-1	Nikon	Ver 2.70
Stereoscopy macroscopy	Leica	EZ4Stereo 8X-35X
Sterrad 100S	Johnson and Johnson	99970
Surgipath paraplast	Leica	39601006
Synringe of 1 mL with needle (27G x 13 mm)	SensiMedical	LAN-078-077
Tissue Processor (Histokinette)	Leica	TP1020
Tissue-Tek TEC 5 (Tissue embedder)	Sakura Finetek USA	5229
Trichrome stain kit	Sigma-Aldrich	HT15
Unicell DxC600 Analyzer	Beckman Coulter	BC 200-10
Xylazine	Pisa agropecuaria	Q-7833-099
Xylene	Sigma-Aldrich	534056	CAS 1330-20-7