title: Reendothelialization of human heart valve neoscaffolds using umbilical cord-derived endothelial cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Heart valve tissue engineering represents a concept for improving the current methods of valvular heart disease therapy. The aim of this study was to develop tissue engineered heart valves combining human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and decellularized human heart valve matrices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pulmonary (n=9) and aortic (n=6) human allografts were harvested from explanted hearts from heart transplant recipients and were decellularized using a detergent-based cell extraction method. Analysis of decellularization success was performed with light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and quantitative analysis of collagen and elastin content. The decellularization method resulted in full removal of native cells while the mechanical stability and the quantitative composition of the neoscaffolds was maintained. The luminal surface of the human matrix could be successfully recellularized with in vitro expanded HUVECs under dynamic flow conditions. The surface appeared as a confluent cell monolayer of positively labeled cells for von Willebrand factor and CD 31, indicating their endothelial nature.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Human heart valves can be decellularized by the described method. Recellularization of the human matrix resulted in the formation of a confluent HUVEC monolayer. The in vitro construction of tissue-engineered heart valves based on decellularized human matrices followed by endothelialization using HUVECs is a feasible and safe method, leading to the development of future clinical strategies in the treatment of heart valve disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Heart Center, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. weymann.alexander@googlemail.com
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weymann
authors.forename: Bastian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schmack
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Pál
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Soós
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Istók
authors.forename: Tamás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Radovits
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Straub
authors.forename: Enikö
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barnucz
authors.forename: Sivakkanan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Loganathan
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pätzold
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chaimow
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schies
authors.forename: Sevil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Korkmaz
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Tochtermann
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karck
authors.forename: Gábor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Szabó
mesh_terms: D001705:Bioprosthesis; D005260:Female; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds