A Three-Dimensional Collagen-Elastin Scaffold for Heart Valve Tissue Engineering
Abstract
Since most of the body's extracellular matrix (ECM) is composed of collagen and elastin, we believe the choice of these materials is key for the future and promise of tissue engineering. Once it is known how elastin content of ECM guides cellular behavior (in 2D or 3D), one will be able to harness the power of collagen-elastin microenvironments to design and engineer stimuli-responsive tissues. Moreover, the implementation of such matrices to promote endothelial-mesenchymal transition of primary endothelial cells constitutes a powerful tool to engineer 3D tissues. Here, we design a 3D collagen-elastin scaffold to mimic the native ECM of heart valves, by providing the strength of collagen layers, as well as elasticity. Valve interstitial cells (VICs) were encapsulated in the collagen-elastin hydrogels and valve endothelial cells (VECs) cultured onto the surface to create an in vitro 3D VEC-VIC co-culture. Over a seven-day period, VICs had stable expression levels of integrin β1 and F-actin and continuously proliferated, while cell morphology changed to more elongated. VECs maintained endothelial phenotype up to day five, as indicated by low expression of F-actin and integrin β1, while transformed VECs accounted for less than 7% ...Continue Reading
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