Bionic artificial penile Tunica albugínea. Credit: Matter/Chai et al.
Key Points:
- A new synthetic tissue repaired injuries and restored normal erectile function in study pigs.
- The greatest advantage of the ATA was its ability to mimic the microstructure of natural tissues.
- Researchers plan to investigate techniques such as the ATA to repair other tissues, including the heart and bladder.
Scientists have developed a synthetic tissue that repairs injuries and restores normal erectile function in a pig model. The findings, published in Matter, show promise for repairing penile injuries in humans.
Many previous studies have focused on repairing the urethra, but not on restoring erectile function. Capitalizing on that thought, the research team from South China University of Technology developed artificial tunica albuginea (ATA) based on polyvinyl alcohol, which has a curled fiber structure similar to that of the natural tissue. In turn, the synthetic material was able to mimic those of tunica albuginea.
The team then tested the ATA in Bama miniature pigs with injuries to the tunica albuginea. The researchers found that patches made from the artificial tissue restored erectile function such that it was similar to that of normal penile tissue. After one month, the artificial tissue did not restore the microstructure of surrounding natural tissue, rather, it developed fibrosis comparable to that in normal tissue and achieved a normal erection after the penis was injected with saline.
“The results one month after the procedure showed that the ATA group achieved good, though not perfect, repair results,” said Xuetao Shi, author of the study and researcher at the South China University of Technology. “Our work at this stage focuses on the repair of a single tissue in the penis, and the next stage will be to consider the repair of the overall penile defect or the construction of an artificial penis from a holistic perspective.”
Researchers now plan to investigate ATA techniques to repair other tissues, including the heart and bladder.