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Distinct extracellular matrix microenvironments of progenitor and carotid endothelial cells
Author(s) -
Vartanian Keri B.,
Kirkpatrick Sean J.,
McCarty Owen J. T.,
Vu Tania Q.,
Hanson Stephen R.,
Hinds Monica T.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.32225
Subject(s) - extracellular matrix , fibronectin , micropatterning , materials science , progenitor cell , tissue engineering , microbiology and biotechnology , endothelial stem cell , laminin , decellularization , matrix (chemical analysis) , biomedical engineering , stem cell , nanotechnology , chemistry , biology , in vitro , composite material , medicine , biochemistry
Endothelial cells (ECs) produce and maintain the local extracellular matrix (ECM), a critical function that contributes to EC and blood vessel health. This function is also crucial to vascular tissue engineering, where endothelialization of vascular constructs require a cell source that readily produces and maintains ECM. In this study, baboon endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) deposition of ECM (laminin, collagen IV, and fibronectin) was characterized and compared to mature carotid ECs, evaluated in both elongated and cobblestone morphologies typically found in vivo . Microfluidic micropatterning was used to create 15‐μm wide adhesive lanes with 45‐μm spacing to reproduce the elongated EC morphology without the influence of external forces. Both EPCs and ECs elongated on micropatterned lanes had aligned actin cytoskeleton and readily deposited ECM. EPCs deposited and remodeled the ECM to a greater extent than ECs. Since a readily produced ECM can improve graft patency, EPCs are an advantageous cell source for endothelializing vascular constructs. Furthermore, EC deposition of ECM was dependent on cell morphology, where elongated ECs deposited more collagen IV and less fibronectin compared to matched cobblestone controls. Thus micropatterned surfaces controlled EC shape and ECM deposition, which ultimately has implications for the design of tissue‐engineered vascular constructs. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2009