Ex vivo construction of a novel model of bioengineered bladder mucosa: A preliminary study

Objective To generate and to evaluate ex vivo a novel model of bioengineered human bladder mucosa based on fibrin-agarose biomaterials. Methods We first established primary cultures of stromal and epithelial cells from small biopsies of the human bladder using enzymatic digestion and selective cell culture media. Then, a bioengineered substitute of the bladder lamina propria was generated using cultured stromal cells and fibrin-agarose scaffolds, and the epithelial cells were then subcultured on top to generate a complete bladder mucosa substitute. Evaluation of this substitute was carried out by cell viability and histological analyses, immunohistochemistry for key epithelial markers and transmission electron microscopy. Results The results show a well-configured stroma substitute with a single-layer epithelium on top. This substitute was equivalent to the control bladder mucosa. After 7 days of ex vivo development, the epithelial layer expressed pancytokeratin, and cytokeratins CK7, CK8 and CK13, as well as filaggrin and ZO-2, with negative expression of CK4 and uroplakin III. A reduction of the expression of CK8, filaggrin and ZO-2 was found at day 14 of development. An immature basement membrane was detected at the transition between the epithelium and the lamina propria, with the presence of epithelial hemidesmosomes, interdigitations and immature desmosomes. Conclusions The present results suggest that this model of bioengineered human bladder mucosa shared structural and functional similarities with the native bladder mucosa, although the epithelial cells were not fully differentiated ex vivo. We hypothesize that this bladder mucosa substitute could have potential clinical usefulness after in vivo implantation.