Adult stem cell-based tissue engineered blood vessels: a review

With the high occurrence of cardiovascular disease and increasing numbers of patients requiring vascular access, there is a significant need for a small-diameter (<6 mm inner diameter) vascular graft that can provide long-term patency. Tissue engineering provides a very promising solution to this need. Approaches utilizing adult stem cells can address limitations previously realized in the use of terminally differentiated vascular cells, without introducing the ethical concerns that continue to limit the exploration and use of embryonic stem cells. This review summarizes the exciting work that has been reported on the application of adult stem cells to tissue engineered vascular grafts. Work in this area to date has employed bone marrow mononuclear progenitor cells, mesenchymal stem cells from various sources, and endothelial precursor cells.