P19 progenitor cells progress to organized contracting myocytes after chemical and electrical stimulation: implications for vascular tissue engineering.

Purpose: To test the hypothesis that a level of chemical and electrical stimulation exists that allows differentiation of progenitor cells into organized contracting myocytes.

Methods: A custom-made bioreactor with the capability of delivering electrical pulses of varying field strengths, widths, and frequencies was constructed. Individual chambers of the bioreactor allowed continuous electrical stimulation of cultured cells under microscopic observation.

A novel culture system shows that stem cells can be grown in 3D and under physiologic pulsatile conditions for tissue engineering of vascular grafts.

Background: Currently available vascular grafts have been limited by variable patency rates, material availability, and immunological rejection. The creation of a tissue-engineered vascular graft (TEVG) from autologous stem cells would potentially overcome these limitations. As a first step in creating a completely autologous TEVG, our objective was to develop a novel system for culturing undifferentiated mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC) in a three-dimensional (3D) configuration and under physiological pulsatile flow and pressure conditions.