Development of anti-atherosclerotic tissue-engineered blood vessel by A20-regulated endothelial progenitor cells seeding decellularized vascular matrix

Rapid Anastomosis of Endothelial Progenitor Cell–Derived Vessels with Host Vasculature Is Promoted by a High Density of Cotransplanted Fibroblasts

“…31 The circulating EPCs migrate to the sites of hypoxia or injured vessels, and incorporate into the sprouting neovessels or participate in the re-endothelialization of damaged vessels. Since the initial reports of separating EPCs from peripheral blood, 32 circulating EPCs have been isolated with antibodies specific to a variety of cell surface markers, including the progenitor=stem cell marker CD133, 33 the endothelial marker CD34, 32,34,35 CD31, 18,24 or a combination of endothelial and progenitor cell markers. 36 In this study, we purified the endothelial outgrowth of CD31-positive cells from cord blood, but EPCs derived from adult blood have also been shown to have equivalent angiogenic potential when implanted with bone marrow mesenchymal cells.…”

Mechanical characterization of a customized decellularized scaffold for vascular tissue engineering

“…Decellularized tissue has been used extensively as a scaffold for tissue engineering vascular constructs and may offer the ability to overcome some of the challenges facing current fabrication (Amiel et al, 2006, Schaner et al, 2004, Zhu et al, 2008. These porous three-dimensional structures present the preformed complex architecture of the native vessel and are ideal for cell attachment and growth while maintaining the mechanical integrity of the native tissue (Gilbert et al, 2006).…”

Endothelial Outgrowth Cells: Function and Performance in Vascular Grafts

“…40,41 EOCs express the fundamental proteins used by ECs to regulate thrombosis, including tissue factor, thrombomodulin, endothelial Protein C receptor, tPA, and von Willebrand factor. 26,27,35,36,[42][43][44][45][46][47][48] Regulation of thrombus formation by EOCs has been suggested in vitro by studies demonstrating reduced platelet adhesion on EOC-lined materials and the generation of the anticoagulant activated Protein C. 45,46,48 In addition, in response to pro-thrombotic stimuli, EOCs increase their expression of tissue factor, decrease plasma clotting time, and increase tPA expression. 36 A number of strategies have been used in an attempt to improve EOCs' thromboprotective function before graft implantation.…”

“…Instead of promoting the anti-thrombotic behavior of cells through external stimulation, EOCs can also be genetically modified for improved performance. 43,47,49,50 Thrombomodulin-overexpressing EOCs have demonstrated increased Protein C activation, decreased platelet adhesion under static conditions, and prolonged clotting times compared with native EOCs. 47 In addition, EOCs overexpressing prostacyclin had similar proliferation, decreased apoptosis after hydrogen peroxide treatment, and increased angiogenic properties compared with native EOCs.…”