title: Comparison of three myofibroblast cell sources for the tissue engineering of cardiac valves.
abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the capacity of three clinically useful tissue sources: tricuspid valve leaflet (TVL), carotid artery (CA), and jugular vein (JV), to generate myofibroblasts for potential use in a tissue-engineered cardiac valve replacement. Tissue biopsies of clinically appropriate sizes obtained from juvenile sheep were used for this work. Cells obtained from all three tissue sources exhibited a myofibroblast phenotype in vitro, as demonstrated by their immunoreactivity with antibodies directed against vimentin, alpha-smooth muscle actin, fibronectin, and chondroitin sulfate. Protein synthesis characteristics were defined for the key extracellular matrix components: collagen, glycosaminoglycans, and elastin. Among the three sources, JV generated the highest numbers of cells, and JV cells produced the largest amount of collagen per cell. These data suggest that venous tissue, with its relative ease of accessibility, may generate myofibroblasts potentially useful for the interstitial cellular component of a tissue-engineered cardiac valve.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hoffman-Kim
authors.forename: Mary S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Maish
authors.forename: Paula M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Krueger
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lukoff
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bert
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hopkins
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001706:Biopsy; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000166:cytology; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates / Q000378:metabolism; D003094:Collagen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000378:metabolism; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D006351:Heart Valves / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation; D007601:Jugular Veins / Q000166:cytology; D023421:Models, Animal; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D012756:Sheep; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000166:cytology; D014746:Vimentin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D005353:Fibronectins; D014746:Vimentin; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates; D003094:Collagen