Experimental study of mesenchymal stem cell repair of previous cesarean scar defect in rats
Objective To investigate the repair effect of mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)on rat previous cesarean scar defect(PCSD)and to provide a potential strategy for the treatment of scar pregnancy.Methods This research experiment was conducted from December 2023 to January 2024 at Guangdong Medical Laboratory Animal Center.A total of 120 female specific pathogen free grade Sprague-Dawley(SPF SD)rats,aged 7 to 8 weeks and weighing 300 to 350 g,were selected and were divided into 3 groups with 40 rats per group according to the random number table method.A rat uterine diverticulum model was established through two consecutive cesarean sections and verified by ultrasound and histology.The control group received 0.2 ml of local saline injection and 0.5 ml of tail vein saline injection,the local injection group(experimental group)was injected with 0.2 ml of MSCs gel locally,and the tail vein injection group(experimental group)was injected with 0.2 ml of MSCs gel through the tail vein.The repair effects on uterine scar defects were observed.The rats'diet,water intake,and mental status were systematically recorded.Four weeks post-administration,the rats were euthanized for autopsy,and their organs were macroscopically observed.Uterine tissue samples were collected for hematoxylin and eosin(H&E)staining to observe the thickness of the myometrium and endometrium,and the endometrial defect rate,the percentage of α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)positive area,and the percentage of transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)positive area were calculated.The statistical methods used were t test,ANOVA,and x2 test.Results The proportions of the rats with normal diet,water intake,and mental status in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group[72.5％(58/80)vs.52.5％(21/40),76.3％(61/80)vs.42.5％(17/40),70.0％(56/80)vs.47.5％(19/40)],with statistically significant differences(x2=4.74,13.35,and 6.46,all P＜0.05).H&E staining revealed that in both local and tail vein injection groups,there was an increase in endometrial gland proliferation,a small amount of fibrous tissue proliferation,and inflammatory cell infiltration,with macrophages and surgical sutures observed in the muscle layer.The basal layer thickness,endometrial thickness,and percentage of α-SMA positive area in the tail vein and local injection groups were higher than those in the control group[(116.32±4.59)μm vs.(109.21±5.73)μm vs.(74.23±6.30)μm,(200.34±7.21)μm vs.(156.98±6.98)μm vs.(119.55±7.38)μm,(32.99±1.26)％vs.(25.93±1.33)％vs.(20.59±1.48)％],but the percentage of TGF-β1 positive area and endometrial defect rate were lower than those in the control group[(14.11±1.01)％vs.(17.54±1.08)％vs.(20.09±1.13)％,35.00％(14/40)vs.62.50％(25/40)vs.100.00％(40/40)],with statistically significant differences(F=650.86,1 264.19,836.93,and 311.99,x2=37.86,all P＜0.05).Conclusions Umbilical cord MSCs can significantly promote the repair of uterine diverticula and are safe.This provides an experimental basis for the application of MSCs in the treatment of uterine scar pregnancy and offers a new strategy for the treatment of post-cesarean scar formation.
万方数据
维普
