Culture of Ovine Esophageal Epithelial Cells and <i>In Vitro</i> Esophagus Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Protocols for OEEC isolation were developed and established from adult ovine esophageal tissue. The generation of sheets of esophageal epithelium in culture and the viability of OEEC on collagen scaffolds for 6 weeks in vitro was observed. The prerequisite for esophagus tissue engineering, which is the ability to form epithelium when seeded on collagen scaffolds, was demonstrated.