pUDKH promotes smooth muscle wound healing in rabbit bladder

AIM: To study the effects of pUDKH on smooth muscle wound healing and local scar response in an animal model. METHODS: The pUDKH was obtained from a eukaryotic expression vector pUDK with an inserted cDNA clone for human HGF isolated from human placental cDNA library. A total of 20 New Zealand rabbits underwent a cyst muscle ectomy on the anterior bladder wall. Three wounds, each with the size of about 1 cm 2 , were made and wound A (WA) was treated with menstruum only, wound B (WB) with 15 μg pUDK and wound C (WC) with 15 μg pUDKH, respectively in every bladder. Gross, histological and radiographic analyses of the wound healing were also made. RESULTS: Postoperative bladder wound area in was (43.9 ± 9.8) mm 2, (43.0±11.1) mm 2 and (27.7±7.5) mm 2 in WA, WB and WC, respectively on day 7 and (24.1± 9.1) mm 2, (22.4±7.4) mm 2 and (4.1±4.0) mm 2 respectively on day 14. The wound area decreased significantly in WC, compared with that in WA and WB ( P 0.01). The postoperative bladder wound hypertrophic index in the three wounds was (1.76±0.17), (1.83±0.18) and (1.11± 0.18) ( P 0.05, WC vs WA and WB) respectively on day 30. Grossically and radiographically, all bladders maintained normal shape. Histologically, the bladders in WA and WB presented a pattern of normal urothelial cells with a thickened fiberotic submucosa and a thin layer of muscle fibers. The bladders in WC showed a normal cellular arrangement. CONCLUSION: The application of pUDKH in bladder wounds promotes the smooth muscle regeneration and prevent the scar formation.