Targeting Smad3 Phosphorylation Attenuates Anastomotic Intimal Hyperplasia and Perigraft Fibrosis in Decellularized Tissue-Engineered Vascular Grafts.

ABSTRACT: Traditional polymer-based arteriovenous grafts (AVGs) for hemodialysis access suffer from poor long-term patency, high reintervention rates, and susceptibility to infection. In contrast, decellularized tissue-engineered vascular grafts (dTEVGs) demonstrate improved patency, long-term durability, and resistance to infection. However, vascular stenosis and occlusion caused by anastomotic intimal hyperplasia (AIH), as well as vascular stiffening and calcification from excessive perigraft fibrosis (PGF), remain major challenges in the clinical use of dTEVGs for AVGs. M2 macrophage infiltration plays a key role in the biological processes of pro-regeneration and the clinical application of dTEVGs. However, in elastin-rich dTEVGs commonly used clinically, the elastic fiber layers form a barrier

SUBMITTER: Lu P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12531493 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature