Advantages of decellularized bovine pericardial scaffolds compared to glutaraldehyde fixed bovine pericardial patches demonstrated in a 180-day implant ovine study.
L BotesL LakerP M DohmenJohannes Jacobus van den HeeverC J JordaanAngélique LewiesF E SmitPublished in: Cell and tissue banking (2022)
Glutaraldehyde (GA)-fixed bovine pericardial patches remain the cardiovascular industry standard despite reports of degradation, thickening, inflammation, calcification and lack of tissue remodelling. Decellularization provides the opportunity to attenuate some of these immune-mediated processes. This study compared the mechanical and morphological integrity of bovine pericardium that is GA-fixated (Glycar® patches) or decellularized (BPS), using a proprietary protocol, following implantation in an ovine model. The impact of the processing methods on tissue strength and morphology was assessed prior to implantation. Pericardial patches were then implanted in the descending aorta and main pulmonary artery of juvenile sheep (n = 6 per group) for 180 days, and clinically evaluated using echocardiography. At explanation, patches were evaluated for strength, calcification and biological interaction. Histology demonstrated a wave-like appearance of well-separated collagen fibers for BPS scaffolds that provided pore sizes adequate to promote fibroblast infiltration. The collagen of the Glycar® patches showed loss of collagen fiber integrity, making the collagen densely compacted, contributing to insignificant recipient cell infiltration. The clinical performance of both groups was excellent, and echocardiography confirmed the absence of aneurysm formation, calcification and degeneration. Explanted Glycar® patches demonstrated cells in abundance within the fibrous encapsulation that separated the implant from the host tissue. More importantly, the fibrous encapsulation also contributed to patch thickening of both the explanted aorta and pulmonary patches. The decellularized pericardial scaffolds demonstrated recellularization, resistance to calcification, re-endothelialization and adequate strength after 180-day implantation. The proprietary decellularization protocol produced pericardial scaffolds that could be considered as an alternative to GA-fixed pericardial patches.
Keyphrases
- tissue engineering
- pulmonary artery
- pulmonary hypertension
- coronary artery
- pet ct
- chronic kidney disease
- pulmonary arterial hypertension
- extracellular matrix
- oxidative stress
- wound healing
- single cell
- emergency department
- cell death
- induced apoptosis
- aortic valve
- heart failure
- stem cells
- signaling pathway
- microbial community
- atrial fibrillation
- cell cycle arrest
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- bone marrow