Polymers (Aug 2021)

Tissue-Engineered Carotid Artery Interposition Grafts Demonstrate High Primary Patency and Promote Vascular Tissue Regeneration in the Ovine Model

  • Larisa V. Antonova,
  • Evgenia O. Krivkina,
  • Viktoriia V. Sevostianova,
  • Andrey V. Mironov,
  • Maria A. Rezvova,
  • Amin R. Shabaev,
  • Vadim O. Tkachenko,
  • Sergey S. Krutitskiy,
  • Mariam Yu. Khanova,
  • Tatiana Yu. Sergeeva,
  • Vera G. Matveeva,
  • Tatiana V. Glushkova,
  • Anton G. Kutikhin,
  • Rinat A. Mukhamadiyarov,
  • Nadezhda S. Deeva,
  • Tatiana N. Akentieva,
  • Maxim Yu. Sinitsky,
  • Elena A. Velikanova,
  • Leonid S. Barbarash

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13162637
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 16
p. 2637

Abstract

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Tissue-engineered vascular graft for the reconstruction of small arteries is still an unmet clinical need, despite the fact that a number of promising prototypes have entered preclinical development. Here we test Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)Poly(ε-caprolactone) 4-mm-diameter vascular grafts equipped with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and stromal cell-derived factor 1α (SDF-1α) and surface coated with heparin and iloprost (PHBV/PCL[VEGF-bFGF-SDF]Hep/Ilo, n = 8) in a sheep carotid artery interposition model, using biostable vascular prostheses of expanded poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (ePTFE, n = 5) as a control. Primary patency of PHBV/PCL[VEGF-bFGF-SDF]Hep/Ilo grafts was 62.5% (5/8) at 24 h postimplantation and 50% (4/8) at 18 months postimplantation, while all (5/5) ePTFE conduits were occluded within the 24 h after the surgery. At 18 months postimplantation, PHBV/PCL[VEGF-bFGF-SDF]Hep/Ilo grafts were completely resorbed and replaced by the vascular tissue. Regenerated arteries displayed a hierarchical three-layer structure similar to the native blood vessels, being fully endothelialised, highly vascularised and populated by vascular smooth muscle cells and macrophages. The most (4/5, 80%) of the regenerated arteries were free of calcifications but suffered from the aneurysmatic dilation. Therefore, biodegradable PHBV/PCL[VEGF-bFGF-SDF]Hep/Ilo grafts showed better short- and long-term results than bio-stable ePTFE analogues, although these scaffolds must be reinforced for the efficient prevention of aneurysms.

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