RESUMO
None of the replacements proposed in the literature for small-calibre blood vessels (SCBV) fully satisfies the stringent requirements that these grafts have to fulfil. Here, an electrospun silk fibroin tubular construct is hybridized with type I collagen gel to produce a biomimetic SCBV graft with physiologically relevant compliance and burst pressure and optimal cytocompatibility. The hybridization of the two polymers results in the formation of a nanofibrillar hydrated matrix, where the collagen gel enhances the mechanical properties of the SF tubular construct and improves the early response of the material to in vitro cell adhesion and proliferation.
Assuntos
Materiais Biocompatíveis/química , Materiais Biomiméticos/química , Prótese Vascular , Colágeno Tipo I/química , Fibroínas/química , Engenharia Tecidual/métodos , Animais , Materiais Biocompatíveis/farmacologia , Materiais Biomiméticos/farmacologia , Vasos Sanguíneos/fisiologia , Bombyx/fisiologia , Adesão Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Sobrevivência Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Cultivadas , Colágeno Tipo I/isolamento & purificação , Técnicas Eletroquímicas , Fibroínas/isolamento & purificação , Géis , Teste de Materiais , Camundongos , Células NIH 3T3 , Alicerces TeciduaisRESUMO
Collagen-based vascular substitutes represent in VTE a valid alternative for the replacement of diseased small-calibre blood vessels. In this study, collagen gel-based scaffolds were crosslinked combining modulation of pH and UV-C radiation. The effects on the mechanical properties, on the molecular structure and on cell viability and morphology were investigated. The mechanical response increased as a function of pH or UV-C dose and strongly depended on the test speed. Collagen molecular conformation resulted only slightly modified. While cell adhesion was not significantly altered, cell proliferation partially decreased in function of pH and UV-C. These findings suggest that UV-C treated collagen gels can represent an adequate substrate for VTE applications.