title: Kangaroo vs. porcine aortic valves: calcification potential after glutaraldehyde fixation.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the calcification potential of kangaroo and porcine aortic valves after glutaraldehyde fixation at both low (0.6%) and high (2.0%) concentrations of glutaraldehyde in the rat subcutaneous model. To our knowledge this is the first report comparing the time-related, progressive calcification of these two species in the rat subcutaneous model. Twenty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were each implanted with two aortic valve leaflets (porcine and kangaroo) after fixation in 0.6% glutaraldehyde and two aortic valve leaflets (porcine and kangaroo) after fixation in 2% glutaraldehyde respectively. Animals were sacrificed after 24 h and thereafter weekly for up to 10 weeks after implantation. Calcium content was determined using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and confirmed histologically. Mean calcium content per milligram of tissue (dry weight) treated with 0.6 and 2% glutaraldehyde was 116.2 and 110.4 microg/mg tissue for kangaroo and 95.0 and 106.8 microg/mg tissue for porcine valves. Calcium content increased significantly over time (8.8 microg/mg tissue per week) and was not significantly different between groups. Regression analysis of calcification over time showed no significant difference in calcification of valves treated with 0.6 or 2% glutaraldehyde within and between the two species. Using the subcutaneous model, we did not detect a difference in calcification potential between kangaroo and porcine aortic valves treated with either high or low concentrations of glutaraldehyde.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium. kishan.narine@ugent.be
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Narine
authors.forename: Cyrille C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chéry
authors.forename: Els
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goetghebeur
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Forsyth
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Claeys
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cornelissen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moens
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Van Nooten
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005404:Fixatives / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005976:Glutaral / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007614:Macropodidae; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013552:Swine; D016707:Tissue Fixation; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
chemical_list: D005404:Fixatives; D002118:Calcium; D005976:Glutaral