Multilayered Hollow Tubes for Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering

One of the key concepts in tissue engineering (TE) strategies is the
need for mass transport of nutrients and oxygen supply. In this work,
we propose the creation of hollow tubes, as blood vessel substitutes,
able to support endothelial and smooth muscle cells adhesion and
proliferation. Hollow tubes will be obtained by building-up multilayers
on sacrificial tubular templates using layer-by-layer technology
and template leaching [1]. Tubes of chitosan and alginate
multilayers were prepared with crosslinking and their physicochemical
characterization was performed using different techniques.
To optimize cell culture conditions, human endothelial cells (HUVECs)
and human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) were
separately seeded on tubular structures. Since multicellular systems
of ECs and SMCs are the main constituents of blood vessels, cell
culture studies were then performed using a co-culture of both cell
types. To perform the culture of HUVECs on the inner wall of the
tubes and the HASMCs on the outer layer, we develop an home-made
apparatus that was able to feed cells with their respective culture
medium. Extensive biological characterization was assessed to
evaluate the potential of these structures. The hollow tubes produced
showed to be a suitable structure to promote cell adhesion and
spreading, maintenance of phenotype, opening a new research field
in order to develop innovative tubular structures for cardiovascular
TE applications.