组织工程化血管构建中有关VEGF和bFGF的研究进展

内皮细胞是血管组织工程的重要种子细胞,小肠粘膜下基质(SIS)的生物活性和力学特性日益引起人们的关注,细胞因子的生物活性成分及其在组织工程化血管构建中的作用可以从不同角度、不同水平进行研究。本文主要从以下两个方面进行综述:SIS中所含生长因子的含量、类型和分布;内皮细胞中碱性成纤维细胞生长因子和血管内皮细胞生长因子的分泌情况,并着重对剪切力作用下内皮细胞分泌活性的变化进行综述,从而为组织工程化血管的基础研究提供参考。     

可降解组织工程血管支架成功用于犬股动脉移植

目的采用可降解的聚己内酯接枝肝素材料,负荷b-FGF(碱性成纤维细胞生长因子),体外构建的小口径组织工程血管,完成犬的股动脉移植动物实验。方法利用可降解的聚己内酯接枝肝素材料,电纺丝技术制备组织工程血管支架,并对支架负荷b-FGF生长因子,并进行材料的内皮细胞粘附实验。将体外构建的小口径组织工程血管,完成犬的股动脉移植动物实验,观察通畅率和移植术后组织工程血管的改变。结果可降解聚己内酯接枝肝素材料支架,负荷细胞生长因子(b-FGF),利于内皮细胞粘附。构建的组织工程血管进行体外动物实验构建,3个月移植物通畅率好,移植后取材,有新生内膜迁移和胶原纤维浸入。结论利用可降解聚己内酯接枝肝素材料构建小口径支架,初步符合构建组织工程血管支架的要求。     

内皮祖细胞(EPCs)研究进展

组织工程血管以及组织工程化组织的血管化因目前内皮种子细胞扩增能力和生物活力的不足而受到限制。EPCs(内皮祖细胞)是内皮细胞的前体细胞。在胚胎期,内皮细胞系与造血细胞系来源于血岛内共同的祖先细胞;出生后,EPCs存在于骨髓,并可被转移至外周血,参与缺血组织的血管重建和血管的内膜化。因此EPCs有望成为今后组织工程内皮种子细胞的重要来源。     

蚕丝蛋白和明胶复合组织工程材料与肝细胞相容性的实验研究

目的:研究蚕丝蛋白-明胶三维材料支架对人永生化肝细胞系QZG贴附及增殖的影响。方法:采用四氮唑盐比色法(MTT)、细胞计数法检测QZG细胞在纯蚕丝生物材料上与在蚕丝蛋白-明胶复合材料上的增殖情况,用扫描电镜观察QZG细胞在两种三维生物材料上的贴附与增殖情况。结果:QZG细胞可以在蚕丝蛋白生物材料贴附及增殖,在引入明胶的蚕丝蛋白材料上细胞贴附更紧密,增殖更明显。结论:蚕丝蛋白与明胶复合材料支架具有良好的细胞贴附性能,通过改进在肝组织工程应用方面将具有一定应用前景。     

一步法从人血浆中制备天然血管生成抑制素

血管生成抑制素（angiostatin）能特异地抑制新生血管生成,有潜在的临床应用价值.利用亲和层析从人血浆中纯化纤溶酶原,并在原位进行弹性蛋白酶有限消化产生angiostatin片段,经过洗涤,然后用0.2 mol/L 6-氨基己酸溶液将angiostatin特异性洗脱.此改进使整个制备过程变得简单、快速和高效.体外对牛主动脉内皮细胞的生长抑制实验以及体内鸡胚尿囊膜血管生成抑制分析结果证实所制备的angiostatin有较强的抑制血管生成活性.     

小肠黏膜下层与内皮细胞复合构建组织工程血管

目的 探讨以小肠黏膜下层为材料制作组织工程血管支架的可行性,并对其复合内皮细胞进行研究,从而为制备组织工程血管提供初步准备。方法 以猪空肠为原材料,利用机械方法制备小肠黏膜下层,去除抗原性后对小肠黏膜下层进行免疫荧光染色,以观察其所含层粘连蛋白和纤维连接蛋白。以猪大隐静脉为原料分离培养并扩增大隐静脉内皮细胞。小肠黏膜下层与内皮细胞复合培养,并通过Hoechst33258染色、FDA/PI染色观察内皮细胞黏附和生长情况,从而评估小肠黏膜下层与内皮细胞的生物相容性。结果 小肠黏膜下层含有较多层粘连蛋白和纤维连接蛋白,内皮细胞成功接种于小肠黏膜下层,并且存活数量较多,生长状态良好。结论 小肠黏膜下层具有较好的生物相容性,可促进内皮细胞的黏附与生长,具有构建组织工程血管的能力,可行性较高。     

间充质干细胞向内皮细胞的分化及其在血管组织工程中的应用

利用间充质干细胞(menchymal stem cells,MSCs)的多向分化能力,将其诱导成为内皮细胞(endothelial cells,ECs),可解决血管组织工程中自体血管细胞作为种子细胞所面临的细胞来源及成体细胞增殖能力有限的问题.MSCs可从多种组织中分离获得,目前应用于血管组织工程的3种MSCs主要源于骨髓、脂肪和肌肉.MSCs的分化可由多种刺激触发,在其向ECs的分化过程中生长因子、支架性质和机械应力等因素起着重要的作用.而以MSCs分化为ECs为基础的组织工程血管在动物模型中展现出促血管生成能力和良好的通畅性,但目前其在临床上的应用较少,需进一步研究,并有许多问题仍待探究.     

LCM联合快速免疫组化技术——一种获取肿瘤原位血管内皮细胞的可行途径

目的肿瘤血管内皮细胞对肿瘤发生发展极为重要,是目前肿瘤研究的热点。本研究为从肿瘤组织原位获取高纯度血管内皮细胞进行基因表达研究摸索可行方法。方法获取淋巴瘤组织标本后,置于锌固定液中固定,并通过进行激光捕获显微切割(lasercapture microdissection,LCM)前操作模拟LCM环境,确定锌固定法对RNA完整性的保护作用。将组织标本制作冰冻切片,采用快速免疫组化染色方法标记血管内皮细胞,利用LCM技术获取肿瘤组织原位血管内皮细胞,并用RT-PCR方法对所获细胞进行纯度检测。结果无论是固定后直接提取组织RNA,还是经模拟LCM环境再提取RNA,均显示锌固定法对RNA完整性提供了良好保护。快速免疫组化可以明确标记血管内皮细胞,后者能够被LCM准确捕获,并经RT-PCR验证为高纯度的血管内皮细胞。结论快速免疫组化联合LCM技术可以从肿瘤组织原位获取高纯度血管内皮细胞,并保证RNA的完整性,可能为肿瘤血管内皮细胞基因表达研究奠定基础。     

人脐静脉血管平滑肌促内皮细胞组织因子表达的体外实验研究

目的研究血管平滑肌细胞对血管内皮细胞组织因子表达的影响并探讨其临床意义.方法用贴块法培养人脐静脉平滑肌细胞;酶消化法培养人脐静脉内皮细胞;用培养平滑肌细胞条件培养液(SMC-CM)刺激培养的内皮细胞,一步凝固法检测内皮细胞组织因子的活性;Northern blot检测内皮细胞组织因子的mRNA表达;并用酶联免疫吸附试验检测SMC-CM中IL-1α、IL-1β、TNF-α和VEGF的含量.结果 SMC-CM使内皮细胞组织因子活性呈剂量依赖性增强,作用6h增至最高,最高增强约38倍;SMC-CM使内皮细胞组织因子mRNA表达显著增强;SMC-CM中的组织因子诱导剂不耐热,且并非IL-1α、IL-1β、TNF-α和VEGF等已知的组织因子诱导剂.结论血管平滑肌细胞能促进血管内皮细胞组织因子的表达,提示体内增生的平滑肌细胞,如动脉再狭窄新内膜中的平滑肌细胞可能诱导局部血管内皮细胞活化及表达组织因子,在局部血栓形成中起一定作用.     

脱细胞基质生物墨水制备方法及应用进展

组织器官脱细胞后制备成的脱细胞基质 (Decellularized extracellular matrix,dECM) 含有许多蛋白质和生长因子,不仅能够为细胞提供三维支架还能够调控细胞再生,是目前最具有生物结构的生物材料。3D生物打印可以层层打印dECM和自体细胞的组合,构建载细胞组织结构。文中综述了不同来源的组织器官脱细胞基质生物墨水制备方法,包括脱细胞、交联等,以及脱细胞基质生物墨水在生物打印中的应用,并展望了其未来的应用前景。     

In vivo study of a model tissue-engineered small-diameter vascular bypass graft

Conventionally used vascular grafts such as polyester (Dacron) or expanded polytetrafluoroethylene perform inadequately as small-diameter vascular bypass grafts (SDBGs). SDBGs, which can maintain long-term patency and those that could potentially evolve with the somatic growth, are highly desirable in vascular surgery and thus research into tissue-engineered blood vessels (TEBVs) is of keen interest. A TEBV was developed by seeding endothelial cells onto a collagen matrix that was cross-linked and contracted by smooth muscle cells (SMCs). A polyester graft served as a scaffold. Recovery studies (12 TEBVs and seven controls) were carried out to assess in vivo endothelialization and long-term patency of TEBVs. Hemodynamic observations indicated para-anastomotic turbulences and high shear stress at anastomosis. Recovery studies demonstrated confluent endothelialization, thrombus-free surfaces, and patent TEBVs in all cases. Graft incorporation and neovascularization of the scaffold occurred in both hybrid and control grafts. However, thickened neointima formation occurred in TEBV grafts, which was most likely caused by the rigidity of polyester scaffold. Significant perigraft inflammatory changes could be observed in both TEBVs and control grafts at 1, 4, and 8 weeks. In conclusion, the TEBVs demonstrated satisfactory performance as an infra-renal-aortic graft in a porcine model. The TEBV serves as a promising model and facilitates the development of a TEBV in a clinical setting, potentially with human stem cells and with more biocompatible, biodegradable scaffolds that are mechanically more compliant with natural vessels.     

Endothelialization of small-diameter vascular prostheses

In the field of arterial vascular reconstructions there is an increasing need for functional small-diameter artificial grafts (inner diameter < 6mm). When autologous replacement vessels are not available, for example because of the bad condition of the vascular system in the patient, the surgeon has no other alternative than to implant a synthetic polymer-based vessel. After implantation the initial major problem concerning these vessels is the almost immediate occlusion, due to blood coagulation and platelet deposition, under the relatively low flow conditions. As the search for the perfect bio-inert polymer has not revealed a material with suitable properties for this application, improved performance of small-diameter artificial blood vessels is now being sought in the biological field. The poor blood-compatibility of an artificial vascular graft is not simply because of its coagulation-stimulating or platelet-activating properties, but more due to its inability to actively participate in the prevention of blood coagulation and platelet deposition. As these functions are naturally performed by endothelial cells, the utilization of these cells seems inevitable for the construction of a functional small-diameter artificial blood vessels. This review describes the current status of the use of endothelial cells to improve the performance of artificial vascular prostheses.     

阿魏酸在缺氧条件下促进人脐静脉内皮细胞血管形成的实验研究

目的:研究阿魏酸(ferulic acid,FA)在缺氧条件下对人脐静脉内皮细胞(human umbilical vein endothelial cells,HUVECs)增殖、迁移和管腔样结构形成的影响。方法:原代培养人脐静脉内皮细胞,在缺氧实验条件下,细胞被分为7组,即1个对照组和6个实验组。对照组采用1%酒精处理,实验组用不同浓度(1×10~(-8)、1×10~(-7)、1×10~(-6)、1×10~(-5)、1×10~(-4)及1×10~(-3) mol/L)的阿魏酸处理。分别采用MTS法、划痕法、Matrigel法分析不同浓度阿魏酸处理对人脐静脉内皮细胞的增殖、迁移和管腔样结构形成的影响。结果:缺氧条件下,浓度为1×10~(-6)~1×10~(-4)mol/L的阿魏酸处理能明显促进HUVECs的增殖(P0.05),以1×10~(-5) mol/L处理的效果最好(P0.01);与对照组相比,1×10~(-6)mol/L(P0.05)、1×10~(-5) mol/L(P0.01)及1×10~(-4) mol/L(P0.01)阿魏酸处理均能明显促进HUVECs横向迁移,以1×10~(-5) mol/L处理迁移的细胞数量最多;1×10~(-8)~1×10~(-4) mol/L阿魏酸处理能不同程度地促进HUVECs管腔样结构的形成,以1×10~(-5) mol/L处理形成管腔样结构的数量最多(P0.01)。结论:阿魏酸在缺氧条件下能促进人脐静脉内皮细胞的增殖、迁移和管腔样结构形成。     

Human tissue-engineered blood vessels for adult arterial revascularization

There is a crucial need for alternatives to native vein or artery for vascular surgery. The clinical efficacy of synthetic, allogeneic or xenogeneic vessels has been limited by thrombosis, rejection, chronic inflammation and poor mechanical properties. Using adult human fibroblasts extracted from skin biopsies harvested from individuals with advanced cardiovascular disease, we constructed tissue-engineered blood vessels (TEBVs) that serve as arterial bypass grafts in long-term animal models. These TEBVs have mechanical properties similar to human blood vessels, without relying upon synthetic or exogenous scaffolding. The TEBVs are antithrombogenic and mechanically stable for 8 months in vivo. Histological analysis showed complete tissue integration and formation of vasa vasorum. The endothelium was confluent and positive for von Willebrand factor. A smooth muscle-specific alpha-actin-positive cell population developed within the TEBV, suggesting regeneration of a vascular media. Electron microscopy showed an endothelial basement membrane, elastogenesis and a complex collagen network. These results indicate that a completely biological and clinically relevant TEBV can be assembled exclusively from an individual's own cells.     

Viscoelastic testing methodologies for tissue engineered blood vessels

In order to function in vivo, tissue engineered blood vessels (TEBVs) must encumber pulsatile blood flow and withstand hemodynamic pressures for long periods of time. To date TEBV mechanical assessment has typically relied on single time point burst and/or uniaxial tensile testing to gauge the strengths of the constructs. This study extends this analysis to include creep and stepwise stress relaxation viscoelastic testing methodologies. TEBV models exhibiting diverse mechanical behaviors as a result of different architectures ranging from reconstituted collagen gels to hybrid constructs reinforced with either untreated or glutaraldhyde-crosslinked collagen supports were evaluated after 8 and 23 days of in vitro culturing. Data were modeled using three and four-parameter linear viscoelastic mathematical representations and compared to porcine carotid arteries. While glutaraldhyde-treated hybrid TEBVs exhibited the largest overall strengths and toughness, uncrosslinked hybrid samples exhibited time-dependent behaviors most similar to native arteries. These findings emphasize the importance of viscoelastic characterization when evaluating the mechanical performance of TEBVs. Limits of testing methods and modeling systems are presented and discussed.     

Osteocyte-induced angiogenesis via VEGF–MAPK-dependent pathways in endothelial cells

Recently, it has been suggested osteocytes control the activities of bone formation (osteoblasts) and resorption (osteoclast), indicating their important regulatory role in bone remodelling. However, to date, the role of osteocytes in controlling bone vascularisation remains unknown. Our aim was to investigate the interaction between endothelial cells and osteocytes and to explore the possible molecular mechanisms during angiogenesis. To model osteocyte/endothelial cell interactions, we co-cultured osteocyte cell line (MLOY4) with endothelial cell line (HUVECs). Co-cultures were performed in 1:1 mixture of osteocytes and endothelial cells or by using the conditioned media (CM) transfer method. Real-time cell migration of HUVECs was measured with the transwell migration assay and xCELLigence system. Expression levels of angiogenesis-related genes were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and mitogen-activated phosphorylated kinase (MAPK) signaling were monitored by western blotting using relevant antibodies and inhibitors. During the bone formation, it was noted that osteocyte dendritic processes were closely connected to the blood vessels. The CM generated from MLOY4 cells-activated proliferation, migration, tube-like structure formation, and upregulation of angiogenic genes in endothelial cells suggesting that secretory factor(s) from osteocytes could be responsible for angiogenesis. Furthermore, we identified that VEGF secreted from MLOY4-activated VEGFR2–MAPK–ERK-signaling pathways in HUVECs. Inhibiting VEGF and/or MAPK–ERK pathways abrogated osteocyte-mediated angiogenesis in HUVEC cells. Our data suggest an important role of osteocytes in regulating angiogenesis.     

A comparison of the tube forming potentials of early and late endothelial progenitor cells

The identification of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) has revolutionized approaches to cell-based therapy for injured and ischemic tissues. However, the mechanisms by which EPCs promote the formation of new vessels remain unclear. In this study, we obtained early EPCs from human peripheral blood and late EPCs from umbilical cord blood. Human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) were also used. Cells were evaluated for their tube-forming potential using our novel in vitro assay system. Cells were seeded linearly along a 60 μm wide path generated by photolithographic methods. After cells had established a linear pattern on the substrate, they were transferred onto Matrigel. Late EPCs formed tubular structures similar to those of HUVECs, whereas early EPCs randomly migrated and failed to form tubular structures. Moreover, late EPCs participate in tubule formation with HUVECs. Interestingly, late EPCs in Matrigel migrated toward pre-existing tubular structures constructed by HUVECs, after which they were incorporated into the tubules. In contrast, early EPCs promote sprouting of HUVECs from tubular structures. The phenomena were also observed in the in vivo model. These observations suggest that early EPCs cause the disorganization of pre-existing vessels, whereas late EPCs constitute and orchestrate vascular tube formation.     

SNX9 determines the surface levels of integrin β1 in vascular endothelial cells: Implication in poor prognosis of human colorectal cancers overexpressing SNX9

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, is involved in a variety of diseases including the tumor growth. In response to various angiogenic stimulations, a number of proteins on the surface of vascular endothelial cells are activated to coordinate cell proliferation, migration, and spreading processes to form new blood vessels. Plasma membrane localization of these angiogenic proteins, which include vascular endothelial growth factor receptors and integrins, are warranted by intracellular membrane trafficking. Here, by using a siRNA library, we screened for the sorting nexin family that regulates intracellular trafficking and identified sorting nexin 9 (SNX9) as a novel angiogenic factor in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). SNX9 was essential for cell spreading on the Matrigel, and tube formation that mimics in vivo angiogenesis in HUVECs. SNX9 depletion significantly delayed the recycling of integrin β1, an essential adhesion molecule for angiogenesis, and reduced the surface levels of integrin β1 in HUVECs. Clinically, we showed that SNX9 protein was highly expressed in tumor endothelial cells of human colorectal cancer tissues. High-level expression of SNX9 messenger RNA significantly correlated with poor prognosis of the patients with colorectal cancer. These results suggest that SNX9 is an angiogenic factor and provide a novel target for the development of new antiangiogenic drugs.     

Elastomeric PGS Scaffolds in Arterial Tissue Engineering

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading cause of mortality in the US and especially, coronary artery disease increases with an aging population and increasing obesity¹. Currently, bypass surgery using autologous vessels, allografts, and synthetic grafts are known as a commonly used for arterial substitutes². However, these grafts have limited applications when an inner diameter of arteries is less than 6 mm due to low availability, thrombotic complications, compliance mismatch, and late intimal hyperplasia^3,4. To overcome these limitations, tissue engineering has been successfully applied as a promising alternative to develop small-diameter arterial constructs that are nonthrombogenic, robust, and compliant. Several previous studies have developed small-diameter arterial constructs with tri-lamellar structure, excellent mechanical properties and burst pressure comparable to native arteries^5,6. While high tensile strength and burst pressure by increasing collagen production from a rigid material or cell sheet scaffold, these constructs still had low elastin production and compliance, which is a major problem to cause graft failure after implantation. Considering these issues, we hypothesized that an elastometric biomaterial combined with mechanical conditioning would provide elasticity and conduct mechanical signals more efficiently to vascular cells, which increase extracellular matrix production and support cellular orientation.The objective of this report is to introduce a fabrication technique of porous tubular scaffolds and a dynamic mechanical conditioning for applying them to arterial tissue engineering. We used a biodegradable elastomer, poly (glycerol sebacate) (PGS)⁷ for fabricating porous tubular scaffolds from the salt fusion method. Adult primary baboon smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were seeded on the lumen of scaffolds, which cultured in our designed pulsatile flow bioreactor for 3 weeks. PGS scaffolds had consistent thickness and randomly distributed macro- and micro-pores. Mechanical conditioning from pulsatile flow bioreactor supported SMC orientation and enhanced ECM production in scaffolds. These results suggest that elastomeric scaffolds and mechanical conditioning of bioreactor culture may be a promising method for arterial tissue engineering.     

In vivo evaluation of bioprinted prevascularized bone tissue

Bioprinting can be considered as a progression of the classical tissue engineering approach, in which cells are randomly seeded into scaffolds. Bioprinting offers the advantage that cells can be placed with high spatial fidelity within three-dimensional tissue constructs. A decisive factor to be addressed for bioprinting approaches of artificial tissues is that almost all tissues of the human body depend on a functioning vascular system for the supply of oxygen and nutrients. In this study, we have generated cuboid prevascularized bone tissue constructs by bioprinting human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by extrusion-based bioprinting and drop-on-demand (DoD) bioprinting, respectively. The computer-generated print design could be verified in vitro after printing. After subcutaneous implantation of bioprinted constructs in immunodeficient mice, blood vessel formation with human microvessels of different calibers could be detected arising from bioprinted HUVECs and stabilization of human blood vessels by mouse pericytes was observed. In addition, bioprinted ASCs were able to synthesize a calcified bone matrix as an indicator of ectopic bone formation. These results indicate that the combined bioprinting of ASCs and HUVECs represents a promising strategy to produce prevascularized artificial bone tissue for prospective applications in the treatment of critical-sized bone defects.