title: Accelerated endothelialization of interpositional 1-mm vascular grafts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is an increased need for alternative, synthetic, small-diameter vascular grafts due to a growing segment of the population who suffer from ischemic heart disease and lack suitable autologous vein grafts for use in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). We hypothesized that a cell-mediated extracellular matrix (ECM) modification of ePTFE would stimulate increased vascularization within the graft and thus promote lumenal endothelialization in a 1-mm rat abdomenal aortic implant model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) vascular grafts (1 mm i.d.) were modified on the ablumenal surface with ECM deposited by the HaCaT or II-4 cell lines and implanted intrapositionally into the descending aorta of rats. Five weeks after implantation, all samples were patent and examination of the grafts demonstrated that the ECM modified samples exhibited extensive ablumenal vascularization and tissue incorporation compared to nonmodified samples. Also, ECM modified grafts had a cellular lining, while the nonmodified grafts were void of a cellular lining except for a limited pannus ingrowth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HaCaT and II-4 cell ECM modifications of ePTFE increase new blood vessel growth in association with the graft, and the II-4 cell modification results in formation of an endothelial monlayer on the lumenal surface of the graft.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA.
authors.forename: Kameha R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Kidd
authors.forename: Vangie B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Patula
authors.forename: Stuart K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000502:physiology*; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene