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Review of Vascular Graft Studies in Large Animal Models
Rui Han Liu1, Chin Siang Ong1, Takuma Fukunishi1
11 Division of Cardiac Surgery, The Johns Hopkins Hospital , Baltimore, Maryland.
Insights
Cardiovascular disease drives demand for vascular grafts. This review explores novel biomaterials in large animal models to improve prosthetic graft outcomes, addressing limitations like inflammation and thrombosis.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease incidence is rising globally, increasing the need for vascular grafts.
- Autologous vessels are ideal but often unavailable, necessitating prosthetic options.
- Current prosthetic vascular grafts face challenges with patency due to inflammation and thrombosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review novel biomaterials for vascular graft construction.
- To evaluate these materials in large animal models.
- To provide an outlook on preclinical potential and future research directions.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on vascular graft materials.
- Focus on studies utilizing large animal models for preclinical evaluation.
- Analysis of material properties concerning inflammation and thrombosis mitigation.
Main Results:
- Exploration of various materials, including modified synthetic and biodegradable polymers.
- Assessment of translational potential based on large animal model data.
- Identification of promising biomaterials for improved vascular graft performance.
Conclusions:
- Novel biomaterials show promise in overcoming limitations of current prosthetic grafts.
- Large animal models are crucial for assessing preclinical efficacy.
- Future research should focus on developing advanced biomaterials for enhanced vascular graft patency.
Abstract:
As the incidence of cardiovascular disease continues to climb worldwide, there is a corresponding increase in demand for surgical interventions involving vascular grafts. The current gold standard for vascular grafts is autologous vessels, an option often excluded due to disease circumstances. As a result, many patients must resort to prosthetic options. While widely available, prosthetic grafts have been demonstrated to have inferior patency rates compared with autologous grafts due to inflammation and thrombosis. In an attempt to overcome these limitations, many different materials for constructing vascular grafts, from modified synthetic nondegradable polymers to biodegradable polymers, have been explored, many of which have entered the translational stage of research. This article reviews these materials in the context of large animal models, providing an outlook on the preclinical potential of novel biomaterials as well as the future direction of vascular graft research.
