title: Design of a perfusion bioreactor specific to the regeneration of vascular tissues under mechanical stresses.
abstract: The objective of this work was to design a bioreactor to stimulate the three-dimensional regeneration of arterial tissue on a cylindrical scaffold with a methodological approach. Once seeded, the scaffold is perfused internally and the externally with culture medium with two independent perfusion systems at different flow rates. The horizontal position and the rotation of the construct ensure the uniformity of the arterial growth and of the endothelial cell spreading. During cell culture, the parameters, such as internal flow and stretching of the vessel, can evolve gradually from the fetal stage to the adult stage. The bioreactor will also be useful for investigating the influence of mechanical stresses and strains on the properties of mature arteries (rigidity, burst strength, adhesion of endothelial cells, etc.).
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Department of Materials Engineering, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada.
authors.forename: Katia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bilodeau
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Couet
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Boccafoschi
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mantovani
mesh_terms: D001158:Arteries / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D001705:Bioprosthesis; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular / Q000502:physiology*; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods