Mesothelial seeding of knitted Dacron

Area of Science:

• Vascular Surgery
• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Dacron grafts are used for superficial femoral artery replacement.
• Cell seeding aims to improve graft healing and reduce thrombogenicity.
• Omental mesothelium was used as a cell source for seeding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of mesothelial cell seeding on Dacron grafts.
• To assess thrombogenicity, patency, and surface characteristics of seeded vs. unseeded grafts.
• To determine if cell seeding enhances graft healing and reduces thrombus formation.

Main Methods:

• Bilateral superficial femoral artery replacement in 38 dogs using Dacron grafts.
• One graft side seeded with omental mesothelium, the other as an unseeded control.
• Assessment of platelet accumulation, thrombogenicity index, patency, thrombus, cell cover, and prostacyclin release over 2 months.

Main Results:

• Cell seeding did not significantly alter thrombogenicity index at 5 days or 2 months.
• No significant differences in graft patency or occlusion rates between seeded (4/6) and control (6/6) groups.
• Seeding did not improve thrombus-free area, luminal cell cover, or prostacyclin release.
• Only 4.4% of seeded cells remained on grafts after 48 hours, insufficient for confluent cover.

Conclusions:

• Mesothelial cell seeding did not improve thrombogenicity or patency of Dacron grafts in this canine model.
• Low cell retention on grafts suggests inadequate seeding density is a major limitation.
• Further research is needed to achieve critical seeding densities for potential therapeutic benefits.