improved healing of colonic anastomosis with allotransplantation of axillary skin fibroblasts in rats

Objective: colonic anastomosis is associated with serious complications leading to significant morbidity and mortality. fibroblasts have recently been introduced as a practical alternative to stem cells because of their differentiation capacity, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative properties. the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of intramural injection of fibroblasts on the healing of colonic anastomosis in rats. materials and methods: inbred mature male wistar rats were used in this experimental study (n=36). fibroblasts were isolated from the axillary skin of a donor rat. in the sham group, manipulation on descending colon was done during laparotomy. a 5 mm segment of the colon was resected, and end-to-end anastomosis was performed. in the control group, 0.5 ml of phosphate buffer saline (pbs) was injected into the colonic wall and in the treatment group, 1×106 fibroblasts were transplanted. following euthanasia on day 7, intra-abdominal adhesion, leakage and peritonitis were evaluated by necropsy. mechanical properties were assessed using bursting pressure and tensile tests. inflammation, angiogenesis, and collagen deposition were examined histopathologically. results: the mean scores for adhesion and leakage were decreased in the treatment group versus control samples. lower infiltration of inflammatory cells was observed in the treatment group (p=0.03). angiogenesis and collagen deposition scores were significantly increased in the fibroblast transplanted group (p=0.03). tensile mechanical properties of the colon were significantly increased in the treatment group compared to the control sample (p=0.01). there was no significant difference between the control and treatment groups in terms of bursting pressure (p=0.10). positive weight changes were found in sham and treatment groups, but the control rats lost weight after 7 days. conclusion: the results suggested that allotransplantation of dermal fibroblasts could improve the necroscopic, histopathological, and biomechanical indices of colonic anastomosis repair in rats.