[Design and construction of pulsatile-flow-cultivation system for the tissue engineering heart valve]

A plane, three-dimensional chamber of pulsatile-flow-cultivation and the liquid store chamber connected by medical silica gel tube were designed and constructed by ourselves according to the design principle. The rotator pump of cardiopulmonary bypass unit was acted as the power source. The mixed gas containing 5% CO2 and 95% air was supplied through the ventilation orifice of the liquid store chamber. The temperature of these components was stabilized by thermostatic waterbath. The test of biomechanics and biological compatibility for the system was carried out by cultures experiment during two weeks. The results of the experiment showed that there was no leak in the pulsatile-flow-cultivation components in which the concentration of CO2 was controlled about 5%+1%, the temperature at 37 +/- 1 degree C, and the value of pH between 6.8 and 7.5. The flow rate of the system could be adjusted exactly between 0.125 L/min and 6.0 L/min. The endothelial cells on the viable homograft valve increased about 10 times after being cultured for 2 weeks. The cultures of cell and mould taken from the leaf and Dacron cloth of homograft valve were reported to be negative. The results of the experiment demonstrated that there was satisfactory homeostasis of these components in effective modeling pulsatile-flow-field for the implantation cells cultured, proliferated, and remodeled under the condition inferior or superior to physiological level in vitro. The system can meet the need for study of pulsatile-flow-cultivation and tissue engineering heart valve constructed in vitro.