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19–22 APRIL, 2017, BARCELONA, SPAIN
14:27–14:30
S1-13 (PP)
APPLICATION OF WHOLE ORGAN DECELLULARIZATION
PROTOCOLS FOR HUMAN-SIZED KIDNEY; IN VIVO
IMPLANTATION AND SHORT-TERM FOLLOW-UP IN A SHEEP
MODEL
Behnam NABAVIZADEH, Abdol-Mohammad KAJBAFZADEH, Reza KHORRAMIROUZ
and Aram AKBARZADEH
Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Pediatric Urology and Regenerative Medicine Research Center, Pediatric Center
of Excellence, Tehran, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
PURPOSE
There have been increased efforts to develop alternative management methods instead of dialysis
and homograft renal transplantation. One of the recent methods includes tissue engineering to
produce a natural scaffold that could help with solving allograft rejection and obviating the need for
immunosuppressive therapy. Complete decellularization of kidney with intact extracellular matrix
(ECM) is the most important factor for further in vivo compatibility and success of transplantation.
Herein, we evaluate the efficacy of two different decellularization protocols in this regard.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Ten whole sheep kidneys were decellularized by perfusion based method utilizing two different
protocols (Protocol 1: SDS 1% only Vs. Protocol 2: triton 1% and SDS 0.5%). The samples were
evaluated by histopathology in the terms of decellularization and ECM preservation. CT angiogra-
phy was performed to evaluate vasculature. Subsequently, both methods were transplanted and
evaluated in four sheep and monitored for vascular integrity and extravasations in short-term. The
explanted kidneys were evaluated by histopathology.
RESULTS
Both samples were decellularized completely but the ECM showed different patterns. After
transplantation, the samples treated with protocol 1 showed extravasation of fluid in the interstitial
space while the samples treated with protocol 2 showed intact ECM and vasculature. Both sheep
in protocol 1 expired in first postoperative day due to massive extravasation, but in protocol 2 all
sheep were monitored for evidence of extravasation for 3 days and then explanted with no notable
fluid accumulation.
CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrated the efficacy of well-preserved ECM in better structure formation and suc-
cess rate in in-vivo decellularized kidney transplantation.