Paracrine cross-talk between human adipose tissue-derived endothelial cells and perivascular cells accelerates the endothelialization of an electrospun ionomeric polyurethane scaffold.

The ex vivo endothelialization of small diameter vascular prostheses can prolong their patency. Here, we demonstrate that heterotypic interactions between human adipose tissue-derived endothelial cells and perivascular cells can be exploited to accelerate the endothelialization of an electrospun ionomeric polyurethane scaffold. The scaffold was used to physically separate endothelial cells from perivascular cells to prevent their diffuse neo-intimal hyperplasia and spontaneous tubulogenesis, yet enable their paracrine cross-talk to accelerate the integration of the endothelial cells into a temporally stable endothelial lining of a continuous, elongated, and aligned morphology.