Decellularization Following Fixation of Explanted Aortic Valves as a Strategy for Preserving Native Mechanical Properties and Function.

ABSTRACT: Mechanical or biological aortic valves are incorporated in physical cardiac simulators for surgical training, educational purposes, and device testing. They suffer from limitations including either a lack of anatomical and biomechanical accuracy or a short lifespan, hence limiting the authentic hands-on learning experience. Medical schools utilize hearts from human cadavers for teaching and research, but these formaldehyde-fixed aortic valves contort and stiffen relative to native valves. Here, we compare a panel of different chemical treatment methods on explanted porcine aortic valves and evaluate the microscopic and macroscopic features of each treatment with a primary focus on mechanical function. A surfactant-based decellularization method after formaldehyde fixation is shown to have

SUBMITTER: Singh M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8770733 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature