Selected Grantee Publications

Local Tissue Response to a C-X-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 12 Therapy for Fecal Incontinence in a Rabbit Model

Ruetten et al., American Journal of Physiology—Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology. 2025.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39745592

Obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI) occurs in 2–7% of vaginal childbirths. Surgical interventions for OASI are suboptimal, with 30% of women reporting continued reduction in quality of life due to long-term fecal incontinence. Researchers used a 4- to 5-month-old female New Zealand white rabbit model for OASI to determine whether local C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) injection reduces postinjury pathologies. Treatment with CXCL12 significantly reduced fibrosis. Untreated rabbits demonstrated reduced distinction of anal sphincter skeletal muscle layering and significantly increased the amount of fibrosis. Treatment with CXCL12 did not affect recruitment of CD34⁺ cells, the number of PAX7⁺ satellite cells, or innervation and vascularization of skeletal muscle. This pilot study demonstrates the potential of a novel therapeutic for OASI. Supported by ORIP (T32OD010957).