Endothelial cell supplementation promotes xenograft revascularization during short-term ovarian tissue transplantation

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

The ischemic/hypoxic window after Ovarian Tissue Transplantation (OTT) can be responsible for the loss of more than 60 % of follicles. The implantation of the tissue supplemented with endothelial cells (ECs) inside dermal substitutes represents a promising strategy for improving graft revascularization. Ovarian biopsies were partly cryopreserved and partly digested to isolate ovarian ECs (OVECs). Four dermal substitutes (Integra®, made of bovine collagen enriched with chondroitin 6-sulfate; PELNAC®, composed of porcine collagen; Myriad Matrix®, derived from decellularized ovine forestomach; and NovoSorb® BMT, a foam of polyurethane) were compared for their angiogenic bioactive properties. OVECs cultured onto the scaffolds upregulated the expression of angiogenic factors, supporting their use in boosting revascularization. Adhesion and proliferation assays suggested that the most suitable scaffold was the bovine collagen one, which was chosen for further in vivo experiments. Cryopreserved tissue was transplanted onto the 3D scaffold in immunodeficient mice with or without cell supplementation, and after 14 days, it was analyzed by immunofluorescence (IF) and X-ray phase contrast microtomography. The revascularization area of OVECs-supplemented tissue was doubled (7.14 %) compared to the scaffold transplanted alone (3.67 %). Furthermore, tissue viability, evaluated by nuclear cou

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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