Tracheal Repair with Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells Differentiated in Chondrocytes Grown on an Acellular Amniotic Membrane: A Pre-Clinical Approach

Acellular amniotic membrane (AM) has been studied, with promising results on the reconstruction of lesioned tissues, and has become an attractive approach for tracheal repair. This study aimed to evaluate the repair of the trachea with human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hucMSCs) differentiated in chondrocytes, grown on an experimental model. Tracheal defects were induced by surgical tracheostomy in 30 New Zealand rabbits, and the acellular amniotic membrane, with or without cells, was covering the defect. The hucMSCs were isolated and cultivated with chondrogenic differentiation over the culture of 14 days, and then grown on the AM. In this study, the AM was biocompatible and hucMSCs differentiated into chondrocytes. Our results demonstrated an important role for AM with cultured cells in the promotion of immature collagen, known to produce tissue regeneration. In addition, cartilaginous tissue was found at the tracheal defects, demonstrated by immunohistology results. This study suggests that this biomaterial implantation can be an effective future therapeutic alternative for patients with tracheal injury.