Improving the Biocompatibility of Plant-Derived Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Using Heat Treatment

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Small-diameter vascular grafts face challenges like thrombosis and compliance mismatch.
• Decellularized plant scaffolds offer a sustainable, biocompatible alternative for tissue engineering.
• Plant biomolecules can trigger immune responses, and limited degradability hinders clinical use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of mild alkaline heat treatment on decellularized leatherleaf viburnum scaffolds.
• To assess whether this treatment improves scaffold biocompatibility and endothelialization without compromising mechanical integrity.

Main Methods:

• Decellularized leatherleaf viburnum scaffolds were treated with 5% NaOH at 30-40 °C for 15-60 min.
• Evaluated mechanical properties (tensile strength, burst pressure), microstructure (SEM), and biocompatibility (white blood cell and endothelial cell assays).

Main Results:

• Heat treatment preserved scaffold thickness and >90% tensile strength, with burst pressures exceeding arterial needs.
• Scaffolds showed reduced fiber area fraction and diameter, with altered surface topography (reduced fractal dimension, increased entropy/lacunarity).
• White blood cell viability increased up to 2.5-fold, and endothelial cell seeding efficiency improved, achieving near-confluent monolayers with longer treatment.

Conclusions:

• Mild alkaline heat treatment is a simple, scalable method to enhance plant-derived vascular scaffolds.
• This process improves immune compatibility and endothelialization potential.
• The modified scaffolds show promise for advancing tissue-engineered vascular grafts.