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Ann Thorac Surg 2005;80:1794-1801
© 2005 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Original article: Cardiovascular

Fibronectin-Hepatocyte Growth Factor Enhances Reendothelialization in Tissue-Engineered Heart Valve

^a Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe
^b Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka
^c Terumo, Ltd, Kanagawa, Japan
^d Medtronic, Ltd, Santa Ana, California

Accepted for publication May 9, 2005.

^_* Address correspondence to Dr Sawa, Department of Surgery (E1), Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan (Email: sawa{at}surg1.med.osaka-u.ac.jp).

BACKGROUND: To overcome the limitations of tissue-engineered heart valves, which require cell seeding before implantation, a growth factor for in situ recellularization may be an important strategy. We developed a new decellularized valve containing a fusion protein combined fibronectin and hepatocyte growth factor. Here, we tested the hypothesis that our valve might accelerate in situ recellularization by inducing the proliferation of endothelial cells.

METHODS: Porcine aortic valves were decellularized using detergent. Fibronectin-hepatocyte growth factor was introduced into the decellularized valves. The decellularized valves with fibronectin-hepatocyte growth factor were implanted into the pulmonary arterial trunk of dogs (F group: n = 15). As controls, decellularized valves without the growth factor (C group: n = 12), and with hepatocyte growth factor (H group: n = 12) were implanted in the same manner. Histologic examinations were performed 1 week and 1 month after implantation.

RESULTS: One week after implantation, endothelial cells partially covered the surface of the graft in the F group but not the C and H groups. Although the C and H groups had inadequate recellularization 1 month after implantation, the F group showed a monolayer of endothelial cells, underneath which were areas of additional cell layers, which were vimentin positive. Quantitative evaluation demonstrated the amount of vimentin in the F group was 71% of the native control, and it was much lower in the other groups (C, 2.8%; H, 16.8%) 1 month after implantation.

CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that fibronectin-hepatocyte growth factor enhanced early in situ recellularization in decellularized valves.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. Ota, S. Taketani, S. Iwai, S. Miyagawa, M. Furuta, M. Hara, E. Uchimura, Y. Okita, and Y. Sawa Novel Method of Decellularization of Porcine Valves Using Polyethylene Glycol and Gamma Irradiation Ann. Thorac. Surg., April 1, 2007; 83(4): 1501 - 1507. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Gulbins and A. Pritisanac Invited commentary Ann. Thorac. Surg., November 1, 2005; 80(5): 1801 - 1802. [Full Text] [PDF]