Novel Biomaterial for Artery Patch in Swine Model With High-Fat Diet

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Vascular Surgery
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Arterial patch-angioplasty is crucial for vascular repair but faces limitations with autologous grafts and synthetic materials.
• Mechanical mismatch in synthetic patches can lead to poor vascular reconstruction outcomes.
• Pulmonary visceral pleura (PVP) offers a compliant, readily available biomaterial alternative for arterial reconstruction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of swine and bovine PVP as biomaterials for artery patch-angioplasty.
• To assess PVP patch performance in a swine model of hypercholesterolemia.
• To investigate the biocompatibility and tissue integration of PVP grafts.

Main Methods:

• PVP was harvested from swine and bovine lungs via hydro-dissection, crosslinked, and sterilized.
• Swine PVP (sPVP) grafts were implanted in carotid and femoral arteries of pigs on a regular diet.
• Bovine PVP (bPVP) grafts were implanted in carotid arteries of pigs on a high-fat diet to model hypercholesterolemia.

Main Results:

• All PVP patch-angioplasties maintained arterial patency without adverse events like adhesions or aneurysms.
• Histological analysis confirmed neo-endothelium formation with endothelial cell-cell junctions and neo-media development similar to native arteries.
• In hypercholesterolemic models, PVP grafts exhibited lipid accumulation and expressed proteins involved in lipid transport and metabolism, mirroring native arterial responses.

Conclusions:

• PVP patch-angioplasty effectively addresses compliance mismatch and provides a non-thrombogenic surface for vascular repair.
• Vascular cells proliferated within PVP grafts, forming functional neo-endothelium and neo-media, ensuring long-term patency.
• PVP-reconstructed arteries demonstrated appropriate lipid transport and metabolism functions, even under hypercholesterolemic conditions.