Cell seeding accelerates the vascularization of tissue engineering constructs in hypertensive mice

• Published in: Hypertension research Vol. 44; no. 1; pp. 23 - 35
• Main Authors: Wagner, Maximilian E H, Kampmann, Andreas, Schumann-Moor, Kathrin, Gellrich, Nils-Claudius, Tavassol, Frank, Schmeltekop, Friederike, Rücker, Martin, Lanzer, Martin, Gander, Thomas, Essig, Harald, Schumann, Paul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 01.01.2021
• Subjects: Animals; Cells, Cultured; Humans; Hypertension; Mesenchymal Stem Cells; Mice; Neovascularization, Pathologic; Rodents; Tissue Engineering; Tissue Scaffolds
• ISSN: 0916-9636; 1348-4214
• DOI: 10.1038/s41440-020-0524-z

Rapid blood vessel ingrowth into transplanted constructs represents the key requirement for successful tissue engineering. Seeding three-dimensional scaffolds with suitable cells is an approved technique for this challenge. Since a plethora of patients suffer from widespread diseases that limit the capacity of neoangiogenesis (e.g., hypertension), we investigated the incorporation of cell-seeded poly-L-lactide-co-glycolide scaffolds in hypertensive (BPH/2J, group A) and nonhypertensive (BPN/3J, group B) mice. Collagen-coated scaffolds (A1 and B1) were additionally seeded with osteoblast-like (A2 and B2) and mesenchymal stem cells (A3 and B3). After implantation into dorsal skinfold chambers, inflammation and newly formed microvessels were measured using repetitive intravital fluorescence microscopy for 2 weeks. Apart from a weak inflammatory response in all groups, significantly increased microvascular densities were found in cell-seeded scaffolds (day 14, A2: 192 ± 12 cm/cm , A3: 194 ± 10 cm/cm , B2: 249 ± 19 cm/cm , B3: 264 ± 17 cm/cm ) when compared with controls (A1: 129 ± 10 cm/cm , B1: 185 ± 8 cm/cm ). In this context, hypertensive mice showed reduced neoangiogenesis in comparison with nonhypertensive animals. Therefore, seeding approved scaffolds with organ-specific or pluripotent cells is a very promising technique for tissue engineering in hypertensive organisms.