Novel Pulse Duplicating Bioreactor System for Tissue-Engineered Vascular Construct

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Abstract
Cell culture in a biomimetic environment is known to improve the mechanical endurance of tissueengineered cardiovascular components. Our goal was to generate a bioreactor that can reproduce a wide range of pulsatile flows with a completely physiological pressure profile. The morphology and biochemical properties of tissue-engineered products were also studied to test the usefulness of this novel bioreactor. The combination of an outflow valve, compliance chamber, and resistant clamps together with a balloon pumping system was able to successfully reproduce both physiological systolic and diastolic pressures. The compliance chamber was especially effective in transforming the original peaky pressure waveform into a physiological pressure profile. The tissues, cultured under a physiological pressure waveform with pulsatile flow, presented widely distributed cells in close contact with each other. They also showed significantly higher cell numbers, total protein content, and proteoglycan–glycosaminoglycan content than cultured tissues under a peaky pressure wave or under static conditions. This new bioreactor system is suitable for evaluating a favorable environment for tissue-engineered cardiovascular components.