title: Small-diameter silk vascular grafts (3 mm diameter) with a double-raschel knitted silk tube coated with silk fibroin sponge.
abstract: Small-diameter (less than 6 mm in diameter) vascular grafts are highly desirable due to the large demand for surgical revascularization; however, there are no available artificial grafts. Vascular grafts of 1.5 mm diameter prepared by our group with silk fibroin fiber have been proved to be excellent grafts with remarkably high patency and remodeling, based on rat implantation experiment (Enomoto et al., 2010). In this study, a silk fibroin vascular graft with 3 mm diameter which can be used for the coronary arteries or lower extremity arteries is prepared with a double-raschel knitted Bombyx mori silk fiber tube coated with B. mori silk fibroin sponge. Here the silk sponge is prepared from an aqueous solution of the silk fibroin and poly(ethylene) glycol diglycidyl ether as porogen. Sufficient strength, proper elasticity, and protection from loose ends in the implantation process are obtained for the silk fibroin graft; low water permeability and relatively large compliance are also attained. These excellent physical properties make silk fibroin grafts suitable to be implanted in a canine model.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Derya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aytemiz
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sakiyama
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakaizumi
authors.forename: Ryou
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Yoshihide
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: Yasumoto
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakazawa
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asakura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D012831:Bombyx; D004285:Dogs; D005349:Fibroins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D047011:Silk / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D047011:Silk; C482288:fibroin, silkworm; D005349:Fibroins