(P 388) Tissue Engineering of Functional Salivary Gland for Replacement

• Published in: Tissue engineering. Part A Vol. 14; no. 5; p. 921
• Main Authors: Joraku, A, Sullivan, C, Yoo, J J, Atala, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.05.2008
• ISSN: 1937-3341; 1937-335X

Objectives: The treatment of conditions that lead to salivary hy pofunction, such as radiation induced xerostomia, is currently limited to the administration of saliva substitutes and sialogogues. The transient effect of these medications necessitates frequent administration and systemic side effects may be intolerable. The creation of implantable, functional salivary gland tissue from au tologous glandular cells would provide a physiologic solution to this problem. We investigated the feasibility of engineering such tissue in vivo. Methods: Primary human submandibular gland cells were grown, expanded and seeded on biodegradable polymer scaffolds. A total of 48 scaffolds with cells and 16 control polymers without cells were implanted subcutaneously in athymic mice. The implants were retrieved 2, 4 and 8 weeks after the implantation for phenotypic and functional analyses. Results: Human salivary gland epithelial cells retained their phenotypic and functional characteristics at all culture stages. Histologically, formation of acinar gland-like structures was observed within the engineered tissue by 4 weeks after implantation. Immunocytochemical and Western blot analyses of the implanted tissues demonstrated the expression of human alpha -amylase, cyto keratins AE1/AE3, and aquaporin-5. RT-PCR analyses confirmed the expression of human alpha -amylase mRNA. The retrieved tissues demonstrated the production of human alpha -amylase over time using a biochemical amylase detection system. Conclusions: Primary human salivary glandular cells seeded on polymers are able to form functional tissues in vivo. The engineered tissues, composed of glandular epithelial cells, produce amylase and possess water channel proteins. This autologous cell-based system may provide a new treatment modality for patients suffering from inadequate salivary secretion.