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Updated: Aug 7, 2026
Transplantation of Pulmonary Valve Using a Mouse Model of Heterotopic Heart Transplantation
Published on: July 23, 2014
[Subcutaneous implantation of tissue-engineered heart valve leaflets in nude mice]
Xu-hua Jian1, Jing-fang Zhang, Ping Hu
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Cardiovascular Institute, Guangzhou 510080, China. jianxuhua@tom.com
Objective:
To investigate the viability of tissue-engineered heart valve leaflets prepared with cell-polymer constructs in nude mice.
Methods:
Sheep endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells/fibroblasts were seeded on patches of PHA and implanted subcutaneously in athymic mice (BALB/C). The cell-polymer constructs were harvested 12, 14, 21 and 28 days after implantation.
Results:
Fourteen days after implantation, the cell-polymer constructs exhibited similar color with the autologous tissues, and HE staining showed more numerous cells in the implant. At 28 days following implantation, muscular fibers were formed in the cell-polymer constructs. V-G staining showed positive collagen staining in the implant at 12 days after implantation, while the control implants retrieved 28 days after implantation did not show extensive tissue formation or muscular fiber formation.
Conclusion:
The cell-polymer constructs can survive in vivo and has the potential to grow into autologous valve leaflets in the nude mice.
