Schwann cells – a new hope in tissue engineered urinary bladder innervation. A method of cell isolation

INTRODUCTION There are not any effective method to induce the innervation of urinary bladder wall graft after augmentation. Neurons from urinary bladder wall and omentium can not elongate and branch in graft because of lack of neurotrophic factors. The best source of these neurotrophic factors are Schwann cells which can be transplanted into urinary bladder wall graft. To transplant Schwann cells the proper amount of cells is needed which can be only obtain during in vitro Schwann cell cultivation. We introduce the results of Schwann cell isolation and in vitro cultivation. MATERIALS AND METHODS 33 Wistar rats, males (350 gr.) were used in this study. Animal were divited into two groups (n = 15). Cell cultures were established in both groups on 5, 6, 7, 8 nad 9 day after nerve injury. In first group the digestion time with colagenase and trypsyne was 2.5 h and in second one 3.5 h. RESULTS A larger number of cells were isolated from the degenerated sciatic nerve. Colonies of cells that morphologically resembled Schwann cells were visible by light microscopy on the second day of in vitro cultivation. Homogeneity of the primary cultures increased in the last day of cultivation to 60%. CONCLUSIONS Schwann cells isolation from predegenerated peripheral nerve is effective and can delivered require amount of cells for transplantation to urinary bladder graft.