In Vivo Colon Regeneration: from Decellularization to In Vivo Implantation in a Rat Model Using the Body as a Natural Bioreactor

Production of a tissue-engineered scaffold for replacement of colon would be a breakthrough affecting the clinical approach to several conditions, and it would alter the fate of patients who need total colectomy with ileoanal anastomosis. In the current study, we aimed to determine the histological aspects of a decellularized colon graft for further colon recellularization using omentum as a natural bioreactor in healthy rats. Colon tissues were decellularized by a 24-h detergent perfusion procedure. The scaffolds were examined by several investigations to verify the efficacy of the decellularization procedure. For recellularization, scaffolds were implanted in omental wraps and biopsies were taken from implanted scaffolds 2 and 4 months post-operatively to examine the extent of cell infiltration and cellular differentiation of regenerated tissues. Implanted scaffolds of 2 months were not completely recellularized and were mostly populated by undifferentiated cells and some inflammatory cells. Immunohistochemical evaluation of the implanted scaffolds after 4 months demonstrated sufficient cellularity and appropriate cell differentiation into epithelial and muscular cells, as well as similar structure to the normal colon. The present study displays the efficiency of omentum as a natural bioreactor for recellularization of decellularized colon scaffolds. Previously, we evaluated the histological aspects of a decellularized colon scaffold for bladder augmentation in rat model. In this study, we try to assess the efficacy of a perfusion-based decellularization protocol of colon organ for further colon tissue engineering. We also aim to evaluate the effectiveness of omentum as a natural bioreactor for recellularization of decellularized colon scaffolds.