Vascular Tissue Engineering in Metabolic Syndrome Conditions – in vitro Studies

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is on the rise in the US and is the leading cause of death worldwide [1]. Associated disorders including stenosis of the vasculature and formation of atherosclerotic plaques can necessitate the need for repair or replacement. Tissue engineering, based on stem cells and scaffolds, is an emerging strategy for the treatment of vascular diseases. Patients who typically require vascular replacement often have comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertension. There remains the challenge of understanding the fate of tissue engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) in a harsh diabetic environment. In these experiments we aimed to develop an in-vitro vascular bioreactor model to 1) condition our tissue engineered vascular grafts and 2) model both a hyperglycemic and hypertensive environment. Our goal was to illicit an appropriate response from the vascular grafts caused by exposure to these pathologic environments to better inform us regarding the fate of our grafts before requiring an in-vivo model