An extracorporeal warm perfusion device for basic research: possibility of avoiding some animal experiments

Area of Science:

• Regenerative Medicine
• Tissue Engineering
• Animal Research Alternatives

Background:

• Traditional animal experimentation for tissue viability studies is resource-intensive and ethically challenging.
• There is a need for alternative methods to assess tissue health and function without live animal models.
• Extracorporeal perfusion offers a potential solution for ex vivo tissue analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the development and application of an extracorporeal warm perfusion device.
• To demonstrate the device's utility in reducing the need for animal experiments.
• To validate the method for assessing the viability of isolated tissue flaps.

Main Methods:

• Development of a stable and reproducible extracorporeal warm perfusion system.
• Utilization of a specialized perfusion medium: aqueous solution with keratinocyte culture medium, neonatal calf serum, L-glutamine, antibiotics, and an antimycotic.
• Oxygenation of the nutritive medium via aqueous phase gas exchange.
• Application to pedicled flaps from both live animals and those from slaughterhouse sources.
• Reimplantation of perfused porcine flaps for vital assessment.

Main Results:

• The perfusion device enables investigations on isolated tissue blocks, potentially saving animal experiments.
• The method allows multiple research teams to utilize tissue from a single animal.
• The perfusion system is stable, easily reproducible, and supports tissue viability.
• Successful reimplantation and vital assessment of perfused porcine flaps were achieved.

Conclusions:

• The developed extracorporeal warm perfusion device provides a viable alternative to traditional animal testing for tissue studies.
• This method enhances research efficiency and ethical considerations in tissue viability assessments.
• The technique is robust, reproducible, and suitable for preclinical evaluations.