title: Selection and fabrication of a non-woven polycarbonate urethane cover for a tissue engineered airway stent.
abstract: One of the major problems in end-stage bronchotracheal cancer is stenosis of the upper airways, either due to luminal ingrowth of the tumor or mucus plugging. Airway stents that suppress tumor ingrowth and sustain mucociliary transport can alleviate these problems in end-stage bronchial cancer. We evaluated different types of polymeric covers for a tissue engineered airway stent. The distinguishing feature of this stent concept is that respiratory epithelial cells can grow on the luminal surface of the stent which facilitates mucociliary clearance. To facilitate growth of epithelial cells at the air-liquid interface of the stent, we developed a polyurethane cover that allows transport of nutrients to the cells. Nonwoven polycarbonate urethane (PCU) covers were prepared by a spraying process and evaluated for their porosity and glucose permeability. Respiratory epithelial cells harvested from sheep trachea were cultured onto the selected PCU cover and remained viable at the air-liquid interface when cultured for 21days. Lastly, we evaluated the radial force of a PCU-covered nitinol stent, and showed the PCU covers did not adversely affect the mechanical properties of the stents for their intended application in the smaller bronchi. These in vitro data corroborate the design of a novel airway stent for palliative treatment of bronchotracheal stenosis by combination of stent-technology with tissue-engineered epithelial cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Weiluan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Engineering, Institute of Applied Medical Engineering, Helmholtz Institute, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 20, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Clauser
authors.affiliation: Department of Tissue Engineering & Textile Implants, Institute of Applied Medical Engineering, Helmholtz Institute, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 20, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Anja Lena
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Thiebes
authors.affiliation: Biomechanics Research Centre, Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Informatics, National University of Ireland, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Donnacha J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: McGrath
authors.affiliation: Biomechanics Research Centre, Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Informatics, National University of Ireland, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Peter E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: McHugh
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Engineering, Institute of Applied Medical Engineering, Helmholtz Institute, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 20, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Steinseifer
authors.affiliation: Department of Tissue Engineering & Textile Implants, Institute of Applied Medical Engineering, Helmholtz Institute, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 20, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jockenhoevel
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wim E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Hennink
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: r.j.kok@uu.nl.
authors.forename: Robbert Jan
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Kok
mesh_terms: D000497:Alloys / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D001980:Bronchi / Q000378:metabolism; D002283:Carcinoma, Bronchogenic / Q000150:complications; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D004867:Equipment Design / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D010539:Permeability; D011076:Polycarboxylate Cement / Q000737:chemistry*; D011140:Polyurethanes / Q000737:chemistry*; D016062:Porosity; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000737:chemistry*; D012756:Sheep; D015607:Stents; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D014132:Trachea / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys; D011076:Polycarboxylate Cement; D011140:Polyurethanes; C005506:polycarbonate; C013616:nitinol; D005947:Glucose
keywords: Airway stenosis; Bronchotracheal cancer; Polymeric cover; Tissue engineering