title: Tissue-engineered human vascular media with a functional endothelin system.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiovascular diseases remain a major cause of death and disability in the Western world. Among the various approaches adopted to counteract the morbidity associated with these diseases, surgical procedures and cardiac and vascular xenotransplantations or allotransplantations are routinely performed. The suitable vascular graft would be as close as possible to the native and healthy vessel composed exclusively of human components provided by the patient and would adapt to the donor's hemodynamics. We have developed such a tissue-engineered human blood vessel reconstructed with human cells. Because endothelin is the most potent vasopressor known to date, we were interested in investigating the functionality of the endothelinergic system in our reconstructed human blood vessel.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Vasoconstriction studies were performed with nonselective and selective agonists and antagonists to demonstrate that ET(A) receptors were present and functional in tissue-engineered human vascular media constructed with the self-assembly method. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction studies demonstrated that mRNA of the ET(A) but not the ET(B) receptor was present in these human tissue-engineered blood vessels. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the endothelin-converting enzyme, the main enzyme responsible for the formation of the biologically active endothelin peptides, was present and functional in these same bioengineered vascular media.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that the media component of our tissue-engineered blood vessel has the potential of controlling vascular resistance via the presence of functional endothelin ET(A) receptors and endothelin-converting enzyme.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Organogénèse Expérimentale/LOEX, Hôpital Saint-Sacrement du CHA, and Department of Surgery, Laval University, Québec, PQ, Canada.
authors.forename: Karina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Laflamme
authors.forename: Charles J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Roberge
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Labonté
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pouliot
authors.forename: Pédro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: D'Orléans-Juste
authors.forename: François A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Auger
authors.forename: Lucie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Germain
mesh_terms: D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000166:cytology; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology; D000072396:Endothelin-Converting Enzymes; D016232:Endothelins / Q000502:physiology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000166:cytology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D044022:Receptor, Endothelin A / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D044023:Receptor, Endothelin B / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014471:Umbilical Veins / Q000166:cytology; D014655:Vascular Resistance; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D016232:Endothelins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D044022:Receptor, Endothelin A; D044023:Receptor, Endothelin B; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; D000072396:Endothelin-Converting Enzymes