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Updated: May 16, 2026
Capillary Force Lithography for Cardiac Tissue Engineering
Published on: June 10, 2014
Frozen phase separation-fabricated bacterial nanocellulose/polyvinyl alcohol dual-network hydrogel membranes with
Guangfei Wang1, Chenrui Yu1, Lin Chen1
1State Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials, College of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Donghua University, No. 2999 North Renmin Road, Shanghai, 201620, China.
Abstract:
The development of polymer heart valves remains challenging due to limitations in mechanical durability and calcification resistance. Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) membranes exhibit excellent biocompatibility but insufficient mechanical strength for valve applications. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) combines good biocompatibility and excellent mechanical properties. Therefore, BNC/PVA (BP) composite membranes were prepared via frozen-phase separation for heart valve applications. This process preserves the BNC nanofibre network while embedding PVA as a reinforcing phase to form a second network, thereby constructing a synergistically reinforced hybrid dual-network structure. The BP composites showed significantly improved mechanical performance, with tensile strength increased by 8-12-fold compared with pure BNC, suture retention strength reaching 2.04 N (4× higher). After 28 days in simulated body fluid, calcium deposition remained below 11 mg/g, significantly lower than glutaraldehyde-treated tissues. BP membranes were sutured onto transcatheter aortic valve stents and evaluated using pulsatile flow testing. The assembled valves met the requirements of ISO 5840-3: 2021, with an effective orifice area of 3.43 cm2 and a regurgitant fraction of 19.68%. BP-15 membranes exhibited enhanced endothelial cell viability and spreading, along with favorable hemocompatibility, including a hemolysis rate below 0.2%. These results indicate that BP composites are a promising alternative for durable and biocompatible prosthetic heart valves.
