Construction of complete biological tissue engineering blood vessel

Abstract

Objective To study the methods for construction of complete biological tissue engi-neering blood vessel,mainly including the preparation of acellular vascular matrix(AVM),in vitro culture and seeding of the smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and endothelial cells (Ecs). Methods Trypsin, hyper- tonic solutions and chemical detergent were applied for a multi-step process to carry out the preparation of AVM from pigs. The SMCs and Ecs were seeded successively by two steps. Results The cells were re-moved completely in pig blood vessels, the collagen protein level of acellular matrix was similar to the fresh aorta,and the elastic fibers and collagen fibers were preserved well. The ultimate stress measured in AVM was reduced by 20% as compared with fresh arterial tissue [Fresh artery:(1. 1510 ± 1. 2870)× 10-2, AVM:(0.9215 ± 1. 7000)×10-2 ,t = 34. 137 ,P <0.01]. After seeding,the SMCs and the Ecs grew well on the matrix. Conclusion It is feasible to prepare the tissue engineering blood vessel by seeding SMCs and Ecs on the AVM. Key words: Tissue engineering ; Blood vessel; Smooth muscle cell ; Endothelial progenitorcell; Endothelial cell