Objectives: Tissue Engineering can develop scaffolds of Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA) for tissue regeneration. The purpose of the present job is to test the possibility to seed human adult mesenchymal stem cells on a scaffold supplemented with specific grow factors to differentiate them into urothelium.
Methods: The Electrospinning technique was used to realize three scaffolds. The first one was seeded with urothelial cells, of a primary culture, and Keratinocyte serum free medium (KSFM); the second one was seeded with human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) and a minimum essential medium (aMEM); the third one was seeded with hMSC and conditioned medium.
Results: Electron microscopy showed scaffolds with cellular vitality (>90%) and their cellular proliferation. Moreover, the differentiation of hMSC, seeded in conditioned medium, into urothelial cells was demonstrated through immunofluorescence assays.
Conclusions: Tissue Engineering can develop PLLA scaffolds thanks to the Electrospinning technique. The scaffold is a perfect environment for cellular culture and proliferation; a protocol for the differentiation of hMSC into urothelial cells is now available. Immunofluorescence assays can demonstrate the hMSC differentiation into urothelial cells.