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Updated: Mar 31, 2026
Elastomeric PGS Scaffolds in Arterial Tissue Engineering
Published on: April 8, 2011
Biomechanical Comparison of Glutaraldehyde-Crosslinked Gelatin Fibrinogen Electrospun Scaffolds to Porcine Coronary
Insights
Developing tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) for coronary artery bypass grafting is crucial. Optimizing glutaraldehyde crosslinking time in gelatin/fibrinogen constructs achieved mechanical properties matching native arteries, a key step for graft success.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death, with coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) a common treatment.
- Native vein grafts used in CABG have limitations in supply and lifespan.
- Biomechanical mismatch is a primary cause of vascular graft failure, necessitating compliance-matched tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the biaxial mechanical characteristics of acellular electrospun gelatin/fibrinogen constructs.
- To determine the effect of glutaraldehyde (GLUT) vapor crosslinking time on construct mechanics.
- To compare the mechanical properties of crosslinked constructs with native porcine coronary arteries.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of acellular electrospun gelatin/fibrinogen cylindrical constructs.
- Crosslinking constructs using glutaraldehyde (GLUT) vapor for 2, 8, and 24 hours.
- Biaxial mechanical characterization using a microbiaxial optomechanical device (MOD).
- Constitutive modeling using a modified Fung strain energy equation.
Main Results:
- Constructs crosslinked for 2 and 8 hours exhibited circumferential and axial tangential moduli (ATM) similar to the porcine left anterior descending coronary (LADC) artery.
- The 8-hour crosslinked group demonstrated compliance matching the LADC, with specific compliance values reported.
- Glutaraldehyde vapor crosslinking time significantly influences the mechanical properties of the biopolymer constructs.
Conclusions:
- Manipulating GLUT vapor crosslinking time is feasible for achieving mechanical properties comparable to native arteries.
- The 8-hour crosslinking duration resulted in compliance-matched TEVG constructs.
- This study provides a foundational step towards developing compliance-matched TEVGs for CABG applications.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for Americans. As coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) remains a mainstay of therapy for CVD and native vein grafts are limited by issues of supply and lifespan, an effective readily available tissue-engineered vascular graft (TEVG) for use in CABG would provide drastic improvements in patient care. Biomechanical mismatch between vascular grafts and native vasculature has been shown to be the major cause of graft failure, and therefore, there is need for compliance-matched biocompatible TEVGs for clinical implantation. The current study investigates the biaxial mechanical characterization of acellular electrospun glutaraldehyde (GLUT) vapor-crosslinked gelatin/fibrinogen cylindrical constructs, using a custom-made microbiaxial optomechanical device (MOD). Constructs crosslinked for 2, 8, and 24 hrs are compared to mechanically characterized porcine left anterior descending coronary (LADC) artery. The mechanical response data were used for constitutive modeling using a modified Fung strain energy equation. The results showed that constructs crosslinked for 2 and 8 hrs exhibited circumferential and axial tangential moduli (ATM) similar to that of the LADC. Furthermore, the 8-hrs experimental group was the only one to compliance-match the LADC, with compliance values of 0.0006±0.00018 mm Hg-1 and 0.00071±0.00027 mm Hg-1, respectively. The results of this study show the feasibility of meeting mechanical specifications expected of native arteries through manipulating GLUT vapor crosslinking time. The comprehensive mechanical characterization of cylindrical biopolymer constructs in this study is an important first step to successfully develop a biopolymer compliance-matched TEVG.
