title: Pilot Mouse Study of 1 mm Inner Diameter (ID) Vascular Graft Using Electrospun Poly(ester urea) Nanofibers.
abstract: An off-the-shelf, small diameter tissue engineered vascular graft (TEVG) would be transformative to surgeons in multiple subspecialties. Herein, the results of a small diameter (ID ≈ 1 mm) vascular graft constructed from resorbable, amino acid-based poly(ester urea) (PEU) are reported. Electrospun PEU grafts of two different wall thicknesses (type A: 250 μm; type B: 350 μm) are implanted as abdominal infra-renal aortic grafts in a severe combined immune deficient/beige mouse model and evaluated for vessel remodeling over one year. Significantly, the small diameter TEVG does not rupture or lead to acute thrombogenic events during the intervals tested. The pilot TEVG in vivo shows long-term patency and extensive tissue remodeling with type A grafts. Extensive tissue remodeling in type A grafts leads to the development of well-circumscribed neovessels with an endothelial inner lining, a neointima containing smooth muscle cells. However, due to slow degradation of the PEU scaffold materials in vivo, the grafts remain after one year. The type B grafts, which have 350 μm thick walls, experience occlusion over the one year interval due to intimal hyperplasia. This study affords significant findings that will guide the design of future generations of small diameter vascular grafts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer Science, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA.
authors.forename: Yaohua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA.
authors.forename: Tai
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA.
authors.forename: Toshiharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shinoka
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA.
authors.forename: Yong Ung
authors.initials: YU
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer Science, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA.
authors.forename: Darrell H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Reneker
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Breuer
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer Science, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA. becker@uakron.edu.
authors.forename: Matthew L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Becker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal; D001705:Bioprosthesis; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D005260:Female; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID; D058426:Neointima; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*; D014508:Urea / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D011091:Polyesters; C492424:poly(ester-urea); D014508:Urea
keywords: SCID/Bg mice; bioresorbable; electrospun scaffolds; poly(ester urea); small diameter TEVG