Viscoelastic properties of multi-layered cellularized vascular tissues fabricated from collagen gel.

Since collagen is one of the major extracellular matrix components in vascular tissues, its use for vascular tissue engineering has several advantages. However, collagen extraction and processing for tissue engineering application alters its structure. As a result, collagen-based vascular constructs show poor mechanical properties compared to native tissues.

A Dual-Mode Bioreactor System for Tissue Engineered Vascular Models.

In the past decades, vascular tissue engineering has made great strides towards bringing engineered vascular tissues to the clinics and, in parallel, obtaining in-lab tools for basic research. Herein, we propose the design of a novel dual-mode bioreactor, useful for the fabrication (construct mode) and in vitro stimulation (culture mode) of collagen-based tubular constructs. Collagen-based gels laden with smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were molded directly within the bioreactor culture chamber.

A planar model of the vessel wall from cellularized-collagen scaffolds: focus on cell-matrix interactions in mono-, bi- and tri-culture models.

The acquisition of new thorough knowledge on the interactions existing between vascular cells would represent a step forward in the engineering of vascular tissues. In this light, herein we designed a physiological-like tri-culture in vitro vascular wall model using a planar cellularized collagen gel as the scaffold. The model can be obtained in 24 h and features multi-layered hierarchical organization composed of a fibroblast-containing adventitia-like layer, a media-like layer populated by smooth muscle cells and an intima-like endothelial cell monolayer.

Engineering 3D Cellularized Collagen Gels for Vascular Tissue Regeneration.

Synthetic materials are known to initiate clinical complications such as inflammation, stenosis, and infections when implanted as vascular substitutes. Collagen has been extensively used for a wide range of biomedical applications and is considered a valid alternative to synthetic materials due to its inherent biocompatibility (i.e.

Effects of a pseudophysiological environment on the elastic and viscoelastic properties of collagen gels.

Vascular tissue engineering focuses on the replacement of diseased small-diameter blood vessels with a diameter less than 6 mm for which adequate substitutes still do not exist. One approach to vascular tissue engineering is to culture vascular cells on a scaffold in a bioreactor. The bioreactor establishes pseudophysiological conditions for culture (medium culture, 37°C, mechanical stimulation).