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Updated: Feb 17, 2026
Generation and Grafting of Tissue-engineered Vessels in a Mouse Model
Published on: March 18, 2015
Novel application and serial evaluation of tissue-engineered portal vein grafts in a murine model
Mark W Maxfield1, Mitchel R Stacy2, Hirotsugu Kurobe1
1Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Aim:
Surgical management of pediatric extrahepatic portal vein obstruction requires meso-Rex bypass using autologous or synthetic grafts. Tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) provide an alternative, but no validated animal models using portal TEVGs exist. Herein, we preclinically assess TEVGs as portal vein bypass grafts.
Materials & Methods:
TEVGs were implanted as portal vein interposition conduits in SCID-beige mice, monitored by ultrasound and micro-computed tomography, and histologically assessed postmortem at 12 months.
Results:
TEVGs remained patent for 12 months. Histologic analysis demonstrated formation of neovessels that resembled native portal veins, with similar content of smooth muscle cells, collagen type III and elastin.
Conclusion:
TEVGs are feasible portal vein conduits in a murine model. Further preclinical evaluation of TEVGs may facilitate pediatric clinical translation.
