title: Mechanical and structural properties of a novel hybrid heart valve scaffold for tissue engineering.
abstract: Hybrid heart valve scaffolds were fabricated from decellularized porcine aortic heart valve matrices and enhanced with bioresorbable polymers using different protocols: (i) dip coating of lyophilized decellularized matrices, and (ii) impregnation of wet decellularized matrices. The following polymers were evaluated: poly(4-hydroxybutyrate) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co4-hydroxybutyrate). Tensile tests were conducted to assess the biomechanical behavior of valve leaflet strips. Suture retention strength was evaluated for the adjacent conduit. A pulse duplicator system was used for functional testing of the valves under physiological systemic load conditions. The properties of the hybrid structures were compared with native, decellularized, and glutaraldehyde-fixed specimens. Mechanisms of the polymer impregnation process were studied with IR spectroscopy, fluorescent microscopic imaging, and SEM. Altogether this study demonstrates the feasibility and improved biomechanical function of a novel hybrid heart valve scaffold for an application in tissue engineering.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany. niels.grabow@medizin.uni-rostock.de
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Grabow
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schmohl
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khosravi
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Philipp
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scharfschwerdt
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Graf
authors.forename: Christof
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stamm
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haubold
authors.forename: Klaus-Peter
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: Gustav
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Steinhoff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001704:Biopolymers; D001705:Bioprosthesis; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005404:Fixatives; D005976:Glutaral; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D006885:Hydroxybutyrates; D008422:Materials Testing; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013537:Sutures; D013552:Swine; D013718:Tensile Strength; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001704:Biopolymers; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D005404:Fixatives; D006885:Hydroxybutyrates; D005976:Glutaral