Amniotic Stem Cells Can Repair Stress UI

In mice suffering from stress urinary incontinence (UI), periurethral injection of human amniotic fluid stem cells restored the urethral sphincter to apparently normal histology and function, according to a report in BMC Medicine.

These cells are easily collected and have very low immunogenicity, reducing risk of rejection, the researchers, led by James J. Yoo, MD, and Tae Gyun Kwon, MD, of the Kyungpook National University in Daegu, Korea, noted.

Although all stem cells disappeared from inside the mouse within 14 days, they were able to induce regeneration of the mouse’s own urethral sphincter muscle.

From the October 01, 2012 Issue of Renal and Urology News