Application of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine in Prelabor Rupture of Membranes: a Review of the Current Evidence

Abstract

Preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM) is the main cause of preterm delivery, resulting in increased perinatal morbidity and mortality. Several techniques have been studied for the healing of ruptured membranes, with some success. Before new techniques using tissue/organ engineering are applied in clinical practice, these techniques must be validated in clinical trials. To address this issue, the objective of this study was to summarize the current literature on interventions to seal or heal the amniotic membranes after PPROM. An electronic search was conducted using the keywords "fetal membranes," "premature rupture," "amnion," "tissue engineering," "fibrin tissue adhesive," "regenerative medicine," "tissue adhesive," "wound healing," and "fetoscopy" through the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases, with the limitation of English-language studies. Through a review of the identified studies, it was found that spontaneous healing of the fetal membrane has not been successful. Several efforts have been made to seal membranes before or after rupture using different methods, including amniopatches, collagen, tissue patches, fibrin sealant, mussel-mimetic sealant, engineered cell matrix, and immunological supplements. However, most studies have been conducted in ex vivo or in vivo settings, so the safety and applicability of these techniques to spontaneous rupture of membranes in clinical settings have not been sufficiently tested. Overall, the current evidence is limited regarding the safety and effectiveness of interventions against PPROM.