Bioreactors for Cardiovascular Cell and Tissue Growth: A Review

Abstract

Heart disease is a major cause of death in the Western world. In the past three decades there has been a number of improvements in artificial devices and surgical techniques for cardiovascular disease; however, there is still a need for novel devices, especially for those individuals who cannot receive conventional therapy. The major disadvantage of current artificial devices lies in the fact that they cannot grow, remodel, or repair in vivo. Tissue engineering offers the possibility of developing a biological substitute material in vitro with the inherent mechanical, chemical, biological, and morphological properties required in vivo, on an individual patient basis. In order to develop a true biological cardiovascular device a dynamic physiological environment needs to be created. One approach that employs the use of a simulated biological environment is a bioreactor in which the in vivo biomechanical and biochemical conditions are created in vitro for functional tissue development. A review of the current state of the art bioreactors for the generation of tissue engineered cardiovascular devices is presented in this study. The effect of the simulated physiological environment of the bioreactor on tissue development is examined with respect to the materials properties of vascular grafts, heart valves, and cardiac muscles developed in these bioreactors.

Tissue Engineering of a Human 3D <em>in vitro</em> Tumor Test System

“…Wherein, cells are provided a natural environment in which they can interact with each other and their surrounding extracellular matrix. For the production of in vitro test systems or transplants, the ability to mimic the natural environment of cells with an appropriate carrier structure and bioreactor system is critical 5 . Therefore, more complex and technically demanding devices must be developed in order to fulfill these tasks 6 .…”

Regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and vascular surgery: twenty first century clinical challenges

“…Moreover, such biological tissue-engineered substitutes provide patients with an alternative source of vascular conduits especially in cases where shortage of autologous and diseased veins is a problem. In essence, tissue-engineered cardiovascular devices offer the possibility of developing a patient-specific implantable device with the potential of growing alongside native tissue without the risk of rejection [4].…”

“…The key components for developing processed biological tissues are cells, scaffolds, growth factors, hormones and nutrients, and a biologic environment provided by bioreactors [4]. Several methodologies for constructing blood vessel replacements with biological functionality have emerged.…”

Regulation of Bone Marrow Stem Cells through Oscillatory Shear Stresses - A Heart Valve Tissue Engineering Perspective

“…Moreover, the importance of maintaining a physiological range of conditioning parameters (e.g. fluid-induced shear stress) has also not been sufficiently addressed [144], [132]. .…”