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ENDOTHELIAL CELL CULTURE AND SEEDING OF PROSTHETIC VASCULAR GRAFTS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
K M Rai1, K J Philipose2, P Takkar3
1Classified Specialist, Surgery and Vascular surgery, 92 Base Hospital C/o 56 APO.
Medical Journal, Armed Forces India
|August 5, 2017
Summary
Seeding vascular grafts with endothelial cells (EC) significantly improves graft patency. This technique facilitates the development of a complete endothelial lining, reducing thrombogenicity in synthetic vascular prostheses.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Vascular Surgery
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Current synthetic vascular prostheses lack endothelial lining, leading to thrombogenicity.
- Endothelial cell (EC) seeding is a proposed method to improve graft integration and reduce clotting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility of cultivating endothelial cells (EC) using tissue culture.
- To assess the effectiveness of seeding EC onto small-diameter polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts in vivo.
Main Methods:
- Cultured endothelial cells (EC) were seeded onto 4 mm PTFE grafts.
- Seeded and unseeded grafts were implanted into the common carotid arteries of 20 dogs.
- Grafts were explanted at 4 and 12 weeks for morphological and patency assessment.
Main Results:
- Seeded grafts demonstrated a 70% cumulative patency rate, compared to 30% for unseeded grafts.
- By 4 weeks, seeded grafts were fully covered by a monolayer of endothelium.
- Graft patency correlated with the establishment of an endothelial surface.
Conclusions:
- Autologous endothelial cell seeding significantly facilitates the development of an endothelial surface on small-diameter PTFE grafts.
- This enhanced endothelialization improves graft patency and reduces thrombogenicity.
- EC seeding is a promising strategy for improving synthetic vascular prosthesis performance.
