Fabrication of cell microintegrated blood vessel constructs through electrohydrodynamic atomization

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Tissue Engineering
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Electrospinning fabricates biodegradable synthetic matrices mimicking native extracellular matrix (ECM) properties for tissue engineering.
• Creating tubular conduits with suitable mechanical properties for vascular applications is feasible via electrospinning.
• Achieving efficient cellular infiltration into electrospun matrices in vitro is a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for rapid and efficient cellular infiltration into biodegradable tubular scaffolds.
• To engineer vascular conduits with enhanced smooth muscle cell integration for potential blood vessel replacement.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a biodegradable, elastomeric poly(ester urethane) urea (PEUU) small-diameter conduit using electrospinning.
• Concurrent electrospraying of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) during electrospinning to integrate cells into the matrix.
• Culture of constructs statically and in spinner flasks, followed by analysis using Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and MTT assay.

Main Results:

• Electrospraying concurrently with electrospinning enabled rapid and uniform SMC integration within the PEUU conduit.
• Spinner flask culture resulted in 2.4 times more viable cells and significantly greater SMC spreading compared to static culture.
• The engineered conduits exhibited mechanical properties (compliance, burst strength) mimicking native arteries.

Conclusions:

• The combined electrospraying and electrospinning technique significantly improves cellular infiltration into biodegradable vascular scaffolds.
• This approach yields robust, compliant tubular constructs suitable for vascular tissue engineering.
• The method represents a promising advancement for creating tissue-engineered blood vessels for replacement therapies.