Early In Vivo Experience With Tissue-Engineered Trileaflet Heart Valves
- 7 November 2000
- journal article
- Published by Wolters Kluwer Health in Circulation
- Vol. 102 (Supplement) , Iii-22-22
- https://doi.org/10.1161/01.cir.102.suppl_3.iii-22
Abstract
Background—Tissue engineering is a new approach in which techniques are being developed to transplant autologous cells onto biodegradable scaffolds to ultimately form new functional autologous tissue. Workers at our laboratory have focused on tissue engineering of heart valves. The present study was designed to evaluate the implantation of a whole trileaflet tissue-engineered heart valve in the pulmonary position in a lamb model. Methods and Results—We constructed a biodegradable and biocompatible trileaflet heart valve scaffold that was fabricated from a porous polyhydroxyalkanoate (pore size 180 to 240 μm; Tepha Inc). Vascular cells were harvested from ovine carotid arteries, expanded in vitro, and seeded onto our heart valve scaffold. With the use of cardiopulmonary bypass, the native pulmonary leaflets were resected, and 2-cm segments of pulmonary artery were replaced by autologous cell–seeded heart valve constructs (n=4). One animal received an acellular valved conduit. No animal received any anticoagulation therapy. Animals were killed at 1, 5, 13, and 17 weeks. Explanted valves were examined histologically with scanning electron microscopy, biochemically, and biomechanically. All animals survived the procedure. The valves showed minimal regurgitation, and valve gradients were Conclusions—Tissue-engineered heart valve scaffolds fabricated from polyhydroxyalkanoates can be used for implantation in the pulmonary position with an appropriate function for 120 days in lambs.Keywords
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