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Pericytes connect the blood vessels of hosts and grafts within 24 hours after cell sheet transplantation
Author(s) -
Morikawa Shunichi,
Ezaki Taichi
Publication year - 2013
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.27.1_supplement.526.3
Subject(s) - basement membrane , transplantation , blood vessel , microbiology and biotechnology , cell , anatomy , endothelium , biology , mural cell , artery , endothelial stem cell , chemistry , pathology , vascular smooth muscle , medicine , smooth muscle , endocrinology , biochemistry , genetics , in vitro
The prompt establishment of blood circulation between grafts and hosts is indispensable for the success of transplantation. In this study, we sought to elucidate how the blood circulation between grafted cell sheets and host tissues is accomplished. The multi‐layered cell sheets were fabricated by culturing rat heart cells; the heart cells contained vascular endothelial cells, which eventually formed tubular structures in the cell sheets during the cultivation period before grafting on rat dorsal muscles. As early as 24h after grafting, blood vessels were extended from host tissues and entered into grafted cell sheets. At the same time, blood inflow from the hosts into the cell sheets was confirmed by intravenous injection of tracer dyes into the hosts. In the cell sheets, the host blood vessels were chimerically connected with intrinsic endothelial tubes of the cell sheets. Interestingly, the chimeric vessel junctions were surrounded by NG2 proteoglycan / alpha smooth muscle actin‐positive pericytes; moreover, type‐IV collagen / griffonia simplicifolia lectin I‐positive vascular basement membrane ensheathed these pericytes and the vessel junctions collectively. We conclude that pericytes connect the blood vessels of hosts and grafts by producing basement membrane as a scaffold for the blood vessels that extend from host tissues toward grafted cell sheets within 24 h after transplantation.