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Published on: July 6, 2022
Aortic Graft at Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery as a Source of Human Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells
Daria Kostina1,2, Dmitry Zverev1, Vadim Grebennik1
11 Almazov Federal Medical Research Centre, Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Insights
Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery provides a novel source of human aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) for research. These CABG-derived SMCs exhibit similar characteristics to those from transplant donors, aiding aortopathy studies.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Biology
- Cell Biology
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Aortopathies research is hindered by a lack of human aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs).
- SMCs are typically sourced from transplant donors, which are difficult to obtain.
- Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery generates excess aortic tissue.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the feasibility of using CABG leftover aortic tissue as a source of human SMCs for in vitro research.
- To compare the characteristics of SMCs derived from CABG tissue with those from transplant donors.
Main Methods:
- SMCs were isolated from thoracic aorta fragments obtained during CABG procedures.
- SMCs were also isolated from aortic tissue of transplant donors.
- Key SMC contractile markers (SMA, SM22α, vimentin), proliferation, migration, and metalloprotease activities (MMP-2, MMP-9) were analyzed and compared.
Main Results:
- SMCs isolated from CABG tissue demonstrated comparable levels of SMC contractile markers to those from transplant donors.
- Proliferation and migration rates were similar between CABG-derived and donor-derived SMCs.
- Metalloprotease activities (MMP-2, MMP-9) were consistent across both cell sources.
Conclusions:
- Leftover ascending thoracic aorta fragments from CABG surgery represent a viable and accessible source of human aortic SMCs.
- This finding offers a promising alternative for obtaining human SMCs for in vitro aortopathy modeling and research.
- Utilizing CABG-derived SMCs can help overcome the scarcity of cells for studying aortic diseases.
Abstract:
One of the serious obstacles of the aortopathies research is a considerable shortage of human aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs), which can be used to model the disease. SMC in most cases come from the whole aorta of transplant donors, which are rather difficult to access. In the course of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, a fragment of aortic tissue is excised to make a bypass root. In this study, we show a possibility to use CABG leftover fragments of thoracic aorta as a source of human SMC for in vitro research. We isolated SMC from the fragments of aortic tissues obtained during CABG procedure and compared these cells to the cells that were isolated from aortic tissue of transplant donors. The content of key SMC contractile markers (SMA, SM22α, and vimentin) as well as proliferation and migration rates, metalloproteases MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities were similar in CABG-derived SMC and in transplant donor-derived SMC. In conclusion, leftovers of ascending thoracic aorta obtained during CABG can be used as a source of human aortic SMCs for in vitro research.
