Coculture of peripheral blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial progenitor cells on strontium-doped calcium polyphosphate scaffolds to generate vascularized engineered bone.

Vascularization of engineered bone tissue is critical for ensuring its survival after implantation and it is the primary factor limiting its clinical use. A promising approach is to prevascularize bone grafts in vitro using endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) derived from peripheral blood. Typically, EPC are added together with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) that differentiate into osteoblasts.

In vitro study in the endothelial cell compatibility and endothelialization of genipin-crosslinked biological tissues for tissue-engineered vascular scaffolds.

To overcome the cytotoxicity of the chemical reagents used to fix bioprostheses, genipin, a naturally occurring crosslinking agent, was used to fix biological tissues in present study. We prepared the biological vascular scaffolds through cell extraction and fixing the porcine thoracic arteries with 1% (by w/v) genipin solution for 3 days, and then examined their mechanical properties and microstructures; glutaraldehyde- and epoxy-fixed counterparts were used as controls. HUVECs were seeded on the type I collagen-coated surface of different modified acellular vascular tissues (fixed with different crosslinking agents), and the growths of HUVECs on the specimens were demonstrated by means of MTT test, the secretion of PGI2 and vWF by HUVECs on the various specimens was also measured.

Effect of polymerization degree of calcium polyphosphate on its microstructure and in vitro degradation performance.

Preparation, characterization and in vitro study of a series of calcium polyphosphate (CPP) with different polymerization degree were reported. A series of CPP with different polymerization degree were prepared by controlling calcining time. Average polymerization degree was analyzed by liquid state 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).

Preparation and endothelialization of decellularised vascular scaffold for tissue-engineered blood vessel.

The proliferation of cells on the decellularised tissues fixed by chemical crosslinking agent is retarded for cytotoxicity of crosslinked tissues. To overcome this disadvantage, we prepared the decellularised vascular scaffold through fixing the porcine thoracic arteries with 40 mL/L ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE), and reduced the cytotoxicity of this scaffold by treating it with lysine and coating it with type I collagen, finally endothelialized it in vitro. The EGDE-fixed porcine thoracic arteries were examined morphologically.

[Characteristics of porcine thoracic arteries fixed with polyepoxy compound].

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of porcine thoracic arteries fixed with ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EX-810) and to provide the proper scaffold materials for tissue-engineered blood vessel.

Methods: The porcine thoracic arteries were respectively treated with 40 ml/L EX-810 and 6.25 g/L glutaraldehyde, and then they were examined with naked-eye, light microscope and scanning electron microscope.