title: Fine structure of glycosaminoglycans from fresh and decellularized porcine cardiac valves and pericardium.
abstract: Cardiac valves are dynamic structures, exhibiting a highly specialized architecture consisting of cells and extracellular matrix with a relevant proteoglycan and glycosaminoglycan content, collagen and elastic fibers. Biological valve substitutes are obtained from xenogenic cardiac and pericardial tissues. To overcome the limits of such non viable substitutes, tissue engineering approaches emerged to create cell repopulated decellularized scaffolds. This study was performed to determine the glycosaminoglycans content, distribution, and disaccharides composition in porcine aortic and pulmonary valves and in pericardium before and after a detergent-based decellularization procedure. The fine structural characteristics of galactosaminoglycans chondroitin sulfate and dermatan sulfate were examined by FACE. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of decellularized pericardium and its propensity to be repopulated by in vitro seeded fibroblasts were investigated. Results show that galactosaminoglycans and hyaluronan are differently distributed between pericardium and valves and within heart valves themselves before and after decellularization. The distribution of glycosaminoglycans is also dependent from the vascular district and topographic localization. The decellularization protocol adopted resulted in a relevant but not selective depletion of galactosaminoglycans. As a whole, data suggest that both decellularized porcine heart valves and bovine pericardium represent promising materials bearing the potential for future development of tissue engineered heart valve scaffolds.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiologiche, Biochimiche e Cellulari, Università di Sassari, Viale Muroni 25, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cigliano
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gandaglia
authors.forename: Antonio Junior
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Lepedda
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zinellu
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Naso
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gastaldello
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aguiari
authors.forename: Pierina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Muro
authors.forename: Gino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gerosa
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spina
authors.forename: Marilena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Formato