title: Design of biomimetic vascular grafts with magnetic endothelial patterning.
abstract: The development of small diameter vascular grafts with a controlled pluricellular organization is still needed for effective vascular tissue engineering. Here, we describe a technological approach combining a tubular scaffold and magnetically labeled cells to create a pluricellular and organized vascular graft, the endothelialization of which could be monitored by MRI prior to transplantation. A novel type of scaffold was developed with a tubular geometry and a porous bulk structure enabling the seeding of cells in the scaffold pores. A homogeneous distribution of human mesenchymal stem cells in the macroporous structure was obtained by seeding the freeze-dried scaffold with the cell suspension. The efficient covering of the luminal surface of the tube was then made possible thanks to the implementation of a magnetic-based patterning technique. Human endothelial cells or endothelial progenitors were magnetically labeled with iron oxide nanoparticles and successfully attracted to the 2-mm lumen where they attached and formed a continuous endothelium. The combination of imaging modalities [fluorescence imaging, histology, and 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)] evidenced the integrity of the vascular construct. In particular, the observation of different cell organizations in a vascular scaffold within the range of resolution of single cells by 4.7 T MRI is reported.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes (MSC), UMR 7057 CNRS and Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Delphine
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fayol
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Le Visage
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ino
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gazeau
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Letourneur
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
mesh_terms: D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008280:Magnetics; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry; D016062:Porosity; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
chemical_list: D005290:Ferric Compounds; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles; D011134:Polysaccharides; C000499:ferric oxide