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Capillary reconstruction in skin and blood vessels by tissue engineering
Author(s) -
Germain Lucie
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.383.2
Subject(s) - dermis , extracellular matrix , tissue engineering , microvessel , chemistry , transplantation , capillary action , microbiology and biotechnology , matrix (chemical analysis) , biomedical engineering , mesenchymal stem cell , blood vessel , in vitro , anatomy , angiogenesis , materials science , biology , medicine , biochemistry , surgery , cancer research , chromatography , endocrinology , composite material
An important aspect of engineered tissues is the addition of the microvasculature. Preexisting capillaries within the construct could enhance engraftment and allow the survival of thicker tissues. We first reconstructed in vitro a human capillary‐like network in a sponge using dermal fibroblasts, endothelial cells and keratinocytes. The spontaneous formation of capillary‐like structures in an extracellular matrix (ecm) was promoted. The vascularization of these skin constructs was accelerated after transplantation. We have shown that the production of completely biologic endothelialized tissue is feasible. The self‐assembly approach we developed allows the production of a tissue from cells only (no exogenous ecm or biomaterials). The self‐assembly approach consists of culturing mesenchymal cells (fibroblasts or smooth muscle cells) in the presence of ascorbic acid in order that cells produce and organize a dense ecm. The sheets are then superposed to reconstruct a dermis or rolled over a mandrel to produce a tubular structure such as a tissue‐engineered blood vessel (TEVB, 5mm i.d.). Capillary‐like structures may be produced by adding endothelial cells. In this manner, a tissue‐engineered capillary network forms in the TE‐dermis or in the adventitial layer of the TEVB. In conclusion, our tissue‐engineered models allowed us to progress towards the reconstruction of microvasculature in vitro.