Fluid shear stress alters the hemostatic properties of endothelial outgrowth cells.

Surface endothelialization is an attractive means to improve the performance of small diameter vascular grafts. While endothelial outgrowth cells (EOCs) are considered a promising source of autologous endothelium, the ability of EOCs to modulate coagulation-related blood activities is not well understood. The goal of this study was to assess the role of arterial flow conditions on the thrombogenic phenotype of EOCs.

Potential of baboon endothelial progenitor cells for tissue engineered vascular grafts.

Thrombosis and intimal hyperplasia limit the usefulness of small caliber vascular grafts. While some improvements have been reported for grafts seeded with mature endothelial cells (EC), the harvesting of ECs from autologous sources, for example, veins or adipose tissue, remains problematic. More recently, endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been considered a promising source of ECs because EPCs can be readily isolated from whole blood then rapidly expanded in vitro.

Poly(glycerol sebacate) supports the proliferation and phenotypic protein expression of primary baboon vascular cells.

Poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) is a biodegradable and biocompatible elastomer specifically developed for soft tissue engineering. Vascular cells adhered to an elastomer may exhibit more physiological behavior because the substrate's mechanical properties more closely match those of the tissue. To investigate the feasibility of using PGS as a scaffold material for vascular tissue engineering, the authors examined the adhesion, proliferation, and phenotypic and morphologic properties of primary baboon endothelial progenitor cells (BaEPCs) and baboon smooth muscle cells (BaSMCs) cultured on PGS films and scaffolds.

The tissue engineering of blood vessels and the heart.

The engineering of biological substitutes and strategies for the replacement and/or repair of blood vessels and the components of the heart represents an important challenge for tissue engineering. In this review, the progress to date and the barriers remaining are addressed. Even though the progress has been considerable and there are even some approaches that have entered clinical trials, we are still a ways off from having FDA-approved replacements and/or repair strategies.