Pulsed perfusion in a venous human organ culture model with a Windkessel function (pulsed perfusion venous HOC-model).
BACKGROUND
The effectiveness of human saphenous vein grafting is limited by hyperplasia of the vessel wall. The current paper reports on a pulsed perfused venous human organ culture model (pp-venous HOC-model) with a Windkessel function.


METHODS
Saphenous vein grafts from 21 patients undergoing coronary bypass grafting were cultured either in venous or arterial hemodynamic conditions. Up to four vein segments were fixed in parallel connection and attached to a closed loop pulsed perfusion system consisting of large and small elastic tubes, mimicking the Windkessel function.


RESULTS
First, after exposure to arterial blood pressure first signs of reactive cell proliferation (n.s.) were detected at day 4. Second, media thickness of the venous segments in the pulsed pressure group was decreased at day 4 (n.s.) and day 7 (n.s.). Third, staining against smooth muscle alpha actin and v. Willebrand factor was always positive at day 1, 4, and 7.


CONCLUSIONS
Pulsed perfusion in a human venous organ culture model with a Windkessel function is an approach to better understand the events taking place during early arterial-vein grafting. First signs of reactive cell proliferation were detected at day four. A period of seven days as described in the current model is probably too short to detect reactive cell proliferation and medial thickening. If the device might be activated for a longer period of time, it should be a suitable model to characterize the effects of intra- and extravascular drug administration as treatment strategies of vein graft disease.
Voisard
Rainer
R
Department of Internal Medicine II - Cardiology, University Medical Center Ulm, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany. rainer@voisard.de
Ramiz
Emini
E
Baur
Regine
R
Gastrock-Balitsch
Iris
I
Siebeneich
Heinrich
H
Frank
Olaf
O
Hombach
Vinzenz
V
Hannekum
Andreas
A
Schumacher
Bernd
B
D000368:Aged; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology* / Q000637:transplantation*