Endothelial cell adherence to small intestinal submucosa: an acellular bioscaffold

Degradable biomaterials to be used as scaffolds for tissue repair will ideally be able to support new blood vessel growth. The present study evaluated the adherence of human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HMECs) to an acellular resorbable scaffold material derived from the small intestinal submucosa (SIS). HMECs were exposed to hydrated and dehydrated forms of SIS and to plastic surfaces coated with one of four different known components of the SIS extracellular matrix: collagen Type I, collagen Type IV, fibronectin, and laminin. Results showed that adherence of HMECs to hydrated SIS was greater than to any of the other tested surfaces (P < 0.05). Exposure of HMECs to either soluble collagen Type IV or soluble fibronectin prior to exposure of these cells to hydrated SIS showed only partial inhibition of HMEC attachment. We conclude that HMECs find hydrated SIS to be a suitable substrate for adherence and that dehydration of SIS adversely affects the ability of HMECs to adhere in vitro. The cause of HMEC adherence to SIS appears to be a combination of both its composition and architecture.