Transforming Endothelium with Platelet‐Rich Plasma in Engineered Microvessels

• Published in: Advanced science Vol. 6; no. 24; pp. 1901725 - n/a
• Main Authors: Nagao, Ryan J., Marcu, Raluca, Wang, Yuliang, Wang, Lu, Arakawa, Chris, DeForest, Cole, Chen, Junmei, López, José A., Zheng, Ying
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.12.2019; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Blood platelets; Collagen; Endothelium; engineered microvessels; Growth factors; Permeability; Physiology; platelets; PRP; engineered microvessels; endothelium; platelets; permeability; PRP
• ISSN: 2198-3844; 2198-3844
• DOI: 10.1002/advs.201901725

Vascularization remains an obstacle when engineering complex tissues for regeneration and disease modeling. Although progress has been made in recreating 3D vascular structures, challenges exist in generating a mature, functional endothelium. It is demonstrated that perfusing engineered microvessels with platelet‐rich plasma, a critical homeostatic component in vivo that is often overlooked in vitro, substantially transforms the endothelium, both maturing endothelial cells and improving functionality in 24 h. Platelets readily adhered to the exposed collagen‐I substrate through small gaps within engineered vessels without forming thrombi. The adherent platelets improve barrier function, enhance endothelial glycolysis, reduce thrombogenicity, and enrich smooth muscle cell growth surrounding the endothelium. These findings demonstrate that platelets are essential to the function of endothelium during vascular maturation and remodeling. This study sheds light on a potential strategy to engineer stable, implantable vascular networks. Perfusion of platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) substantially transforms the endothelium in engineered microvessels in 24 h. PRP increases vessel diameter, improves barrier function, enhances endothelial glycolysis, reduces thrombogenicity, and enriches smooth muscle cell growth surrounding the endothelium. This work provides a potential strategy to improve vascular maturation and remodeling in engineered complex tissues for implantation and disease modeling.