In vitro evaluation of a decellularized human fetal skin–derived scaffold repopulated with human amniotic fluid stem cells for potential application in myelomeningocele repair

Myelomeningocele (MMC) is the most common congenital defect of the central nervous system, which results in devastating and lifelong disability. In MMC, the initial failure of neural tube closure early in gestation is followed by a progressive prenatal injury to the exposed spinal cord, contributing to the deterioration of neurological function in fetuses. Amniotic fluid, collected during intrauterine correction of MMC, has been investigated as a new cell source for stem cells in the development of future cell-based transplantation. Human amniotic fluid stem cells (hAFSCs) adhered on decellularized scaffolds can be an option for tissue regeneration and restoring spinal cord injury. This study evaluated a protocol for decellularizing human fetal skin (also collected during MMC corrective surgery) to create an extracellular matrix (dECM) scaffold and its subsequent recellularization with human amniotic fluid stem cells (hAFSCs). The successful adherence and viability of hAFSCs on the dECM scaffold demonstrated its potential as an in vitro tissue model for mechanical support and cell development. The findings of this study have significant implications for future MMC repair applications, as they describe viable morphological characteristics for using dECM scaffolds recellularized with hAFSCs as a potential therapy for MMC.