Small diameter helical vascular scaffolds support endothelial cell survival

• Published in: Nanomedicine 2018-11, Vol.14 (8), p.2598-2608
• Main Authors: Parikh, Vijay, Kadiwala, Juned, Hidalgo Bastida, Araida, Holt, Cathy, Sanami, Mohammad, Miraftab, Mohsen, Shakur, Rameen, Azzawi, May
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Blood Vessel Prosthesis; Cell Adhesion; Cell Proliferation; Cells, Cultured; Coronary Vessels - cytology; Coronary Vessels - metabolism; Endothelial; Endothelial Cells - cytology; Endothelial Cells - metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation; Helical; Humans; Nanofibers - chemistry; Scaffold; Shear stress; Tissue Engineering; Tissue Scaffolds - chemistry; Vascular
• ISSN: 1549-9634; 1549-9642
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2018.08.005

There is an acute clinical need for small-diameter vascular grafts as a treatment option for cardiovascular disease. Here, we used an intelligent design system to recreate the natural structure and hemodynamics of small arteries. Nano-fibrous tubular scaffolds were fabricated from blends of polyvinyl alcohol and gelatin with inner helices to allow a near physiological spiral flow profile, using the electrospinning technique. Human coronary artery endothelial cells (ECs) were seeded on the inner surface and their viability, distribution, gene expression of mechanosensitive and adhesion molecules compared to that in conventional scaffolds, under static and flow conditions. We show significant improvement in cell distribution in helical vs. conventional scaffolds (94% ± 9% vs. 82% ± 7.2%; P