Περίληψη:
Artificial blood vessels composed of viable tissue represent the ideal
vascular graft. Compliance, lack of thrombogenicity, and resistance to
infections as well as the ability to heal, remodel, contract, and
secrete normal blood vessel products are theoretical advantages of such
grafts. Three basic elements are generally required for the construction
of an artificial vessel: a structural scaffold, made either of collagen
or a biodegradable polymer; vascular cells, and a nurturing environment.
Mechanical properties of the artificial vessels are enhanced by
bioreactors that mimic the in vivo environment of the vascular cells by
producing pulsatile flow. Alternative approaches include the production
of fibrocollagenous tubes within the recipient’s own body (subcutaneous
tissue or peritoneal cavity) and the construction of an artificial
vessel from acellular native tissues, such as decellularized small
intestine submucosa, ureter, and allogeneic or xenogeneic arteries. This
review details the most recent developments on vascular tissue
engineering, summarizes the results of initial experiments on animals
and humans, and outlines the current status and the challenges for the
future.
Συγγραφείς:
Kakisis, JD
Liapis, CD
Breuer, C
Sumpio, BE
