The application of dried amniotic membrane scaffold with adipose derived-mesenchymal stem cell seeding as graft in urethral reconstruction (experiment on rabbit)

Background: Urethral reconstruction has been a problem for a long time and is a major challenge for surgeons. Surgical management of urethral defects is still controversial because there is no synthetic material that is considered ideal as a substitute for the urethra. With the development of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells, this research aims to observe the difference between the use of dried amniotic membrane as a scaffold with and without mesenchymal stem cells seeding as graft in urethral reconstruction. Methods: This research was a pure experimental research with a post-test only control group design using 24 male New Zealand white rabbits. The samples were divided into 3 groups: one control group, one scaffold (dried amniotic membrane) without stem cell seeding group, and one stem cell-seeded scaffold group. The rabbits were evaluated at 28 days after treatment and the results were analyzed using Chi-Square test. Results: The number of urethras that were healed were higher in stem cell-seeded scaffold compared to scaffold without stem cell seeding group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Considering the promising result, application of dried amniotic membrane as a scaffold with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell seeding could be an option for urethral reconstruction.