Study of Muscle and Vascular Regeneration in a Rat Bladder Augmentation Model

Session Number

Project ID: BIO 10

Advisor(s)

Dr. Arun Sharma; Northwestern University

Discipline

Biology

Start Date

22-4-2020 8:30 AM

End Date

22-4-2020 8:45 AM

Abstract

Patients with Spina Bifida affected with myelomeningocele can typically display varying degrees of bladder dysfunction. In most cases, surgical reconstruction utilizing a piece of intestine is needed. However, this solution is unsustainable as many issues can occur, and in most cases the operation will have to be done multiple times. Instead of this surgical method, scaffolds with a biodegradable framework that could also serve as a carrier for bone marrow stem/progenitor cells could be used. The objective of our project was to look at muscle and vascular regeneration in a rat model that has gone through bladder augmentation with two different scaffolds, poly 1,8-octanediol-co-citrate (POC) scaffold and small intestinal submucosa (SIS) scaffold. We analyzed muscle regeneration and vascular regeneration of trichrome stained cross sections of augmented rat bladders. We used Adobe Photoshop to quantifiably compare the two scaffold groups, and we were able to observe that the rats with poly 1,8-octanediol-co-citrate (POC) grafts developed larger muscle bundles and larger vessels than the small intestinal submucosa (SIS) scaffold. The POC grafts were also less likely to develop large areas of collagen formation.

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Apr 22nd, 8:30 AM Apr 22nd, 8:45 AM

Study of Muscle and Vascular Regeneration in a Rat Bladder Augmentation Model

Patients with Spina Bifida affected with myelomeningocele can typically display varying degrees of bladder dysfunction. In most cases, surgical reconstruction utilizing a piece of intestine is needed. However, this solution is unsustainable as many issues can occur, and in most cases the operation will have to be done multiple times. Instead of this surgical method, scaffolds with a biodegradable framework that could also serve as a carrier for bone marrow stem/progenitor cells could be used. The objective of our project was to look at muscle and vascular regeneration in a rat model that has gone through bladder augmentation with two different scaffolds, poly 1,8-octanediol-co-citrate (POC) scaffold and small intestinal submucosa (SIS) scaffold. We analyzed muscle regeneration and vascular regeneration of trichrome stained cross sections of augmented rat bladders. We used Adobe Photoshop to quantifiably compare the two scaffold groups, and we were able to observe that the rats with poly 1,8-octanediol-co-citrate (POC) grafts developed larger muscle bundles and larger vessels than the small intestinal submucosa (SIS) scaffold. The POC grafts were also less likely to develop large areas of collagen formation.