Fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF-1) loaded microbeads enhance local capillary neovascularization.
BACKGROUND
Growth of new blood vessels (neovascularization) occurs naturally in the body, but the slow rate of the process may not be sufficient for survival of engineered tissues and transplanted cells, such as pancreatic islets. For transplanted islets, it is crucial that the transplantation site has sufficient vasculature to support the needs of the islets. Therefore, the specific aim of this research was quantify the effect of FGF-1 incorporation into alginate microbeads on neovascularization of such capsules in an in vivo rat transplant model.


METHODS
Microbeads loaded with FGF-1 or control beads (beads without FGF-1) were implanted in the rat omental pouch model. Animals were sacrificed 7 d post-implantation.


RESULTS
Microbeads loaded with FGF-1 stimulated a significant increase in vascular density compared with control rats implanted with control beads.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that alginate microbeads loaded with FGF-1 enhance local neovascularization around implanted microbeads. These data provide a compelling impetus for experimental pursuit of FGF-loaded alginate microcapsules for vascularization of transplanted islets.
Moya
Monica L
ML
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois 60616, USA.
Garfinkel
Marc R
MR
Liu
Xiang
X
Lucas
Stephanie
S
Opara
Emmanuel C
EC
Greisler
Howard P
HP
Brey
Eric M
EM
D000464:Alginates; D000818:Animals; D002196:Capillaries / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D016220:Fibroblast Growth Factor 1 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D008863:Microspheres; D023421:Models, Animal; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000187:drug effects*; D009852:Omentum / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000166:cytology; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
D000464:Alginates; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D016220:Fibroblast Growth Factor 1; D020723:Glucuronic Acid