Bone marrow transplantation in vascular prostheses

Preparation of porous biodegradable poly(lactide-co-glycolide)/ hyaluronic acid blend scaffolds: characterization, in vitro cells culture and degradation behaviors

A series of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)/ hyaluronic acid (HA) blend with different HA composition were used to fabricate scaffolds successfully. The pores of the three dimensional scaffold were prepared by particle leaching and freeze drying. The pore size was about 50-200 microm and the porosity was about 85%. The characterizations of the scaffold, such as mechanical properties, hydrophilicity and surface morphologies were determined. Mouse 3T3 fibroblast was directly seeded on the scaffolds. The cell adhesion efficiency, cell morphology observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the degradation behavior of the blend scaffold were evaluated. In summary, the results show that the adhesion efficiency of cells on the PLGA/HA blend scaffold is higher than that on the PLGA scaffold. Moreover, the incorporation of HA in PLGA not only helps to increase the cell affinity but also tends to lead the water and nutrient into the scaffold easily.

Recent progress of vascular graft engineering in Japan

The development of a small-diameter vascular graft has long been awaited. This review covers research activities, achievements and progress on vascular engineering in Japan, which was conducted over the last decade. The article includes recently developed experimental scaffolds, biologically active artificial extracellular matrices (ECMs) or non-fouling synthetic coatings, cell sourcing including the autologous vascular cell type, endothelial progenitor cells and genetically-engineered, temporary endothelial-like cells. The discussions were presented from biomechanical, biomaterial, cellular and tissue aspects. Once the mechano-biological and biologically active extracellular milieus are established in a designed vascular graft, the functional, structural and mechanical tissue morphogenesis and adaptation of implanted vascular grafts may proceed with implantation duration, and the spatio-temporal tissue modulations at cytokine, cellular, ECM levels under physiological stress proceed to regenerate vascular tissue architecture. The ultimate solution to a small-diameter vascular graft should be realized by optimal combinations of these factors.