The potential of anisotropic matrices as substrate for heart valve engineering.

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Cells environment is increasingly recognized as an important function regulator through cell-matrix interactions. Extracellular matrix (ECM) anisotropy being a key component of heart valves properties, we have devised a method to create highly porous anisotropic nanofibrillar scaffolds and studied their suitability as cell-support and interactions with human adipose derived stem cells (hADSCs) and human valve interstitial cells (hVICs). Anisotropic nanofibrillar scaffolds were produced by a modified jet-spraying method that allows the formation of aligned nanofibres (600 nm) through air-stream diffraction of a polymer solution (poly (ε-caprolactone, PCL) and collection onto a variably rotating drum. The resulting matrices of high porosity (99%) mimicked valve mechanical anisotropy. Dynamically seeded hADSC and hVIC cultured on scaffolds up to 20 days revealed that hADSC and hVIC penetration within the matrices was improved by anisotropic organization. Within 10 days, cells populated the entire scaffolds thickness and produced ECM (collagen I, III and elastin). As a result, mechanical properties of the constructs were improved over culture, while remaining anisotropic. In contrast to isotropic matrices, anisotropy induced elongated hADSCs and hVICs morphology that followed nanofibres orientation. Interestingly, these morphological changes did not induce hADSC differentiation tow

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

Browse all related research

Filter the research library by this study's title keywords, author, or publication year.