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Engineering Biological-Based Vascular Grafts Using a Pulsatile Bioreactor
Published on: June 14, 2011
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Bioengineered three-layered robust and elastic artery using hemodynamically-equivalent pulsatile bioreactor.
Kiyotaka Iwasaki1, Koji Kojima, Shohta Kodama
1Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. 75 Francis Street, Thorn 1327, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Circulation
|October 10, 2008
Summary
Researchers engineered a robust, elastic small-diameter artery using vascular cells and a pulsatile bioreactor. This tissue-engineered vascular graft mimics native arteries, offering potential for arterial circulation applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Tissue Engineering
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- High demand for autologous small-diameter vascular grafts for arterial circulation.
- Need for robust and elastic engineered arteries capable of withstanding high pressure and flow.
- Investigation of a novel hemodynamically-equivalent pulsatile bioreactor for vascular tissue engineering.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer a three-layered, robust, and elastic small-diameter artery.
- To utilize a novel pulsatile bioreactor to mimic physiological conditions.
- To assess the structural and mechanical properties of the engineered vascular graft.
Main Methods:
- Harvesting endothelial cells (ECs), smooth muscle cells (SMCs), and fibroblasts from bovine aorta.
- Constructing a three-layered graft using polyglycolic acid and polycaprolactone sheets seeded with respective cells on a silicone tube scaffold.
- Incubating the construct in a pulsatile bioreactor with gradually increasing flow and pressure for 2 weeks.
Main Results:
- Engineered vessels exhibited appearance and elasticity similar to native arteries.
- Scanning electron microscopy and Von Willebrand factor staining confirmed EC coverage of the lumen.
- Elastin, collagen, alpha-SMA, and calponin staining confirmed tissue composition; tensile tests showed equivalent ultimate strength and elastic characteristics compared to native arteries.
Conclusions:
- A robust and elastic small-diameter artery was successfully engineered.
- The use of a physiological pulsatile bioreactor was crucial for achieving native-like arterial properties.
- This engineered vascular graft holds promise for clinical applications in arterial reconstruction.
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