Potential of Tissue-Engineered Constructs for the Management of Short Bowel Syndrome in Regenerative Medicine

Short bowel syndrome is a life-threatening condition characterized by the intestine’s inability to maintain homeostasis through enteral nutrition. Despite the use of conservative approaches, including parenteral nutrition, most patients fail to achieve complete enteral autonomy or correct electrolyte and nutrient deficiencies. Surgical interventions such as longitudinal intestinal lengthening and tailoring, serial transverse enteroplasty, and intestinal or multivisceral allotransplantation are associated with a high risk of complications owing to technical limitations and the requirement for immunosuppressive therapy. Tissue engineering is a promising alternative. Current strategies use various synthetic and biological extracellular matrices as scaffolds, including silk fibroin, collagen, gelatin, hydrogels, polyglycolic acid, and allogeneic intestinal submucosa. The cellular components of tissue-engineered constructs include embryonic, pluripotent, and mesenchymal stem cell lines, whose regenerative potential is enhanced by various adjuvants and growth factors. Given the biological properties of these cells and specifics of transplantation and post-transplant changes, mesenchymal stem cells are a promising cellular vehicle for morphofunctional restoration of the residual intestine. This study provides a comprehensive review of tissue-engineered constructs developed for intestinal reconstruction in short bowel syndrome.