Successful endothelialization and remodeling of a cell-free small-diameter arterial graft in a large animal model.

ABSTRACT: The large number of coronary artery bypass procedures necessitates development of off-the-shelf vascular grafts that do not require cell or tissue harvest from patients. However, immediate thrombus formation after implantation due to the absence of a healthy endothelium is very likely. Here we present the successful development of an acellular tissue engineered vessel (A-TEV) based on small intestinal submucosa that was functionalized sequentially with heparin and VEGF. A-TEVs were implanted into the carotid artery of an ovine model demonstrating high patency rates and significant host cell infiltration as early as one week post-implantation. At one month, a confluent and functional endothelium was present and the vascular wall showed significant infiltration of host smooth muscle cells ex

SUBMITTER: Koobatian MT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4662921 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature