Evaluation of methods of hepatotrophic stimulation in rat heterotopic hepatocyte transplantation using polymers.

Background: Hepatocyte transplantation has been studied as an alternative to organ transplantation. Hepatocyte transplant models should provide sufficient cell mass for replacement function and hepatotrophic stimulation of the transplanted cells in heterotopic locations.

Method: The authors used three-dimensional porous polyvinyl-alcohol matrices as cell carriers, which were implanted between mesenteric leaves of the intestine.

Long-term engraftment of hepatocytes transplanted on biodegradable polymer sponges.

Hepatocyte transplantation may provide an alternative to orthotopic liver transplantation to treat liver failure. However, suitable systems to transplant hepatocytes and promote long-term engraftment must be developed. In this study, highly porous, biodegradable sponges were fabricated from poly (L-lactic acid) (PLA), and poly (DL-lacticco-glycolic acid) (PLGA), and utilized to transplant hepatocytes into the mesentery of three groups of Lewis rats.

Femoral shaft reconstruction using tissue-engineered growth of bone.

Tissue engineering is an interdisciplinary field that applies the principles and methods of engineering and the life sciences to the development of biologic substitutes. Bovine periosteum-derived cells were cultivated in vitro, put onto bioresorbable polymer fiber constructs, and allowed to grow until most of the fibers were coated with multiple layers of osteoblasts. Standardized 9-mm nonhealing defects were created in 24 male athymic rats femurs and bridged with titanium miniplates.

Localized delivery of epidermal growth factor improves the survival of transplanted hepatocytes.

Hepatocyte transplantation may provide a new approach for treating a variety of liver diseases if a sufficient number of the transplanted cells survive over an extended time period. In this report, we describe a technique to deliver growth factors to transplanted hepatocytes to improve their engraftment. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) was incorporated (0.

Chronic pulmonary hypertension in sheep: temporal progression of lesions.

Scant data exist on the evolution of the lesions of pulmonary hypertension. This study establishes a model in sheep in which the left upper lobe (LUL) was rendered hypertensive by a systemic-pulmonary shunt while the rest of the pulmonary circulation remained normotensive. By examining lung tissue at 2 months and 1 1/2 years after shunting, we sought the temporal progression of pulmonary hypertensive lesions.